JEFFERSON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Update: The body has now been identified as 31-year-old Jesse Burk of Pine Bluff, and the manner of death has been determined a homicide.
An investigation is being conducted by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division after a body was found near Old Warren Road and Gibbins Road, a rural area south of Pine Bluff.
On November 1 at 3:33 p.m., deputies were dispatched after a property owner found the body of an unidentified person.
The body was discovered on the unimproved land of the property owner not far from the road while out visiting their land.
"When investigators arrived, they did not find an immediate source of identification. Therefore, we have very little information to go on at this time, but the investigators are actively processing the scene in effort to collect evidence," said Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Operations Commander, Major Gary McClain.
He added that the body will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for a further forensic investigation into the identification, cause, and manner of death.
Anyone with information regarding the possible identity of the victim or the circumstances surrounding their death is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division at (870) 541-5496 or the 24/7 dispatch center at (870) 541-5300.
This investigation is currently ongoing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.