Wednesday night a deceased male was found in a vehicle in Carriere, said Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shane Tucker.

Tucker said the department received a call from family members who found the deceased in the vehicle at the end of Byrd Street. Tucker said the vehicle matched the description of a suspect wanted for rape by the Picayune Police Department.

Tucker said patrol deputies and investigators arrived on the scene and it appeared the unidentified male had been deceased for some time.

Tucker said the department is waiting on the medical examiner’s report to get an approximate time of death.

Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage said the deceased has been identified as 50-year-old Joseph Washington and the cause and manner of death will be determined once a toxicology report is available.

Check Friday’s Picayune Item for the full story.