WCBI News At Six - Friday, November 20th, 2020

Good evening everyone.

A louisville man has been found dead and police investigators are trying to find out what happened.

Hunters found the body of 32-year- old jarvis eichelberger around 4 o'clock thursday afternoon off baremore street.

Our stephanie poole was at the scene today.

She joins us in the studio with more details.

Aundrea, this investigation is still in the early stages of development.

éé officers have collect several pieces of evidence to hopefully led them to a suspect.

éé as of now, officers are questioning one person in connection to the crime.

éé a body found in the woods leaves louisville police with more questions than answers.

On thursday night, louisville police chief sean says a group of hunters made the gruesome discovery...32-year- old jarvis eichelberg's body laying 70 yards into this wooded area.

Holdiness says eichelberg was last seen wednesday evening.

Soon, he'll become the victim of a homicide.

" yesterday at approximately 4:25, we received a phone call from an individual that lives off baremore street that is here inside the city limits of louisville.

They come upon a mound of pine straw and what appeared to be feet sticking out of the bottom of the pine straw."

After arriving to the crime scene, officers began the investigation of what led to eichelberg's death.

" when we started to pull the debris from the body, there were several suspicious markings on the individual and what appeared to be a small bullet wound to the back of his head."

That's when officers suspected foul play... " we immediately called the crime scene unit with the state and investigator with the mississippi bureau of investigation and the winston county coroner's office.

We also brought in a metal detector and other things to kind of go through out the office looking for any evidence."

Holdiness says a suspect has not yet been arrested , but citizens have led officers to a someone who is possibly connected to the crime.

" when we were processing the scene and of course this is a small community, small town information just started coming in really rapidly.

Due to this information, a person of interest was developed and investigators went and tried to make contact with this individual.

He is being held in custody right now."

The investigation is still in the early stages of development and a motive has not been determined.

" it is disheartening for a small community like louisville and i wish we could do better."

Next of kin have been notified.

éé and an autopsy will be performed in pearl.éé if you have any information call louisville police department or winston county crime stoppers.éé mississippi's chief medical examiner remains on administrative leave.

The absence of one of the three state medical examiners is having a big impact on criminal cases, such as the one in louisville.

Wlbt our statewide news partner finds out there are other delays in winston county and throughout the state.

The backlog at the medical examiner's office has some coroners still holding on to cases four, five, and six years old.

Scott gregory: i've got cases dating back to 2014 that have still not been solved, no death certificates amended, my cases are still incomplete on the files that i have.

It's just a backlog that's unbelievable, it's ridiculous.

Before state medical examiner mark levaughn was put on administrative leave, the state had three medical examiners - two in jackson, one on the coast.

With levaughn out, coroners are concerned.

Lauderdale county coroner clayton cobler says families deserve better than the wait, as do the coroners who serve as a buffer between them and the medical examiner's office, where they say phone calls are rarely taken.

Clayton cobler: i've got a grandmother calling me every week at least, wanting to know about the autopsy report for her grandchild, and it was in 2017.

There's also another negative consequence of the backlog.

David ruth: i had a family that waited so long for an autopsy report that their life insurance policy was canceled because it took them so long to get a final copy of the autopsy report.

There are also criminal cases to consider, and speedy trials for the accused.

County coroners say... it's time for the state to own the problem.

David ruth: because we don't have medical examiners now to testify in court.

And for scott gregory, who has been in office almost five terms, the realization that it's not getting better has forced him to a decision.

He says he won't be seeking re-election.

Scott gregory: and i feel very very very bad for any coroner that takes over the position, because their hands are tied, but yes, their hands are full.

Therese apel, 3 on your side.

9 no details about devaughn's administrative leave have been released but multiple reports say it could be tied to a state attorney general's investigation.

Top lowndes county deputies continue to investigate a shooting that left one man injured.

It happened at a house on old west point road just before noon yesterday.

Witnesses told investigators there was an argument inside the house before the shooting.

Lowndes county sheriff eddie hawkins tells wcbi his investigators have not made any arrests.

The victim remains in the hospital and is stable.

If you have any information about the shooting call golden triangle crime stoppers.

A crawford woman is facing charges for alleged food stamp fraud.

Tiffany ames was arrested by mississippi department of human services investigators.

Ames is accused of not reporting her husband's employment income.

She was allegedly over-issued more than 27-thousand dollars in public assistance money.

Ames was recently indicted by a lowndes county grand jury.

She turned herself in today.

First look stinger we've enjoyed a nice, quiet, and sunny stretch of weather for the last week, but it looks like our string of luck is coming to an end.

A cold front will move through on sunday, bringing more clouds and some isolated showers.

A stronger system will approach on wednesday and will bring rain and storms to the area.

Fortunately, it looks like thanksgiving will be dry.

Friday night: skies will remain mostly clear through midnight, but clouds will slowly increase by sunrise.

Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for high school football with lows in the mid 40s.

Winds will remain generally calm.

Saturday-sunday: all in all, our a lee county church is trying to make sure no one goes hungry on thanksgiving week.

Wcbi's allie martin has more on two outreaches that will provide food for thousands of people.

Robbie gillespie is making room for turkey, sweet potatoes and other staples of the traditional thanksgiving meal.

Gillespie is director of client services for "grace and mercy ministries" an outreach of the anchor church.

The verona church is planning to feed a lot of hungry people next week.

On monday, the church's "servant's heart food pantry" will be busy.

We're going to be handing out food boxes, first come , first serve, three hundred families, thirty, to sixty pound boxes of food, come, bring id, fill out a piece of paper, go through the line, will give food away that day."

And on thanksgiving morning, volunteers will make plate lunches.

People can come by and pick them up, or the meals can be delivered.

"just so you know, we're safe about it, if you call and want food, we will come up, knock on the door, leave the box there, we don't have to see you, but we are mindful of what's going on."

Standup bridge while some cities and towns have called off traditional thanksgiving week services and feeding programs, gillespie says this year the need is simply too great to cancel the outreaches.

"it's not that we're not scared of covid, we know it's real, but we know there's people hurting and need help, we want to be here, and our motto is to offer help, hope and healing, and we're not going to let something shut us down when we can feed and help people because we know people are in need."

Gillespie points out there are many churches throughout the area who are helping with the outreaches.

In verona, allie martin, wcbi news for information on the food box distribution monday, or the thanksgiving day meal, call the anchor church at 662 732 5055 covid-19 cases surge across mississippi, once again, today.

The state department of health is reporting one thousand 638 new cases and 23 deaths.

926 people are hospitalized with confirmed or suspected symptoms across the state.

222 of those patients are in i.c.u.

Locally, lafayette county has some of the highest numbers we've seen during the pandemic.

It is reporting 93 new cases today.

Lee county has 50, winston has 40, lowndes has 39, and oktibbeha has 34.

Monroe and union counties are both reporting 30 new cases.

Off top an organization in louisville is helping people without a home find one.

"we care incorporated" is turning an apartment building into a homeless shelter.

The complex will be used as a temporary housing for men and women who have been displaced.

The group is asking for financial support for repairs and furnishings to become a fully operational facility to serve the community.

Sot "one unit will be for women and one unit will be for men and we will rent out one of the units.

We will rent out one unit as income for we care."

You can donate through the we care website or cashapp.

That information is available on wcbi dot com.

Stinger for the first time since 1957...caledonia schools have a new name.

Last week, students at caledonia's elementary, middle and high schools voted to rename themselves the cavaliers after parents and community members called for the removal of the nickname confederates.

Wcbi reporter stephen pimpo spoke today with chs students who helped choose the name and told him they hope the new name is something that everyone can be proud of.

"such a big change for our school in something that's important...cause a mascot is who we are."

While it may still reside on confederate drive...caledonia high school now has a new name.

After dozens of parents and community members spoke out against the confederates nickname used by caledonia's elementary, middle and high schools, students voted to rename themselves the cavaliers.

"do it for everybody else, all the students so we can have something we can be proud of, a mascot that we can all feel unified under and be able to go out there on a friday night and be proud of it."

The lowndes county school district's board voted unanimously to remove the long time confederates or "feds" name in july.

They then tasked a nine-member committee of the schools' three principals, two community members and four caledonia high school students to pick a new name.

Su: when deciding on the new mascot...students said they wanted something that still incorporated the familiar c logo and the crossed swords.

"out whole saying 'swords up,' we all still get to keep those memories.

As a cheerleader, it's important to feel that, to have that on friday nights.

Sophmore lisa basset was part of the committee overseeing the renaming.

She says that none of her classmates have ever made her feel singled out or different because of the school's old mascot.

"when it comes to the name, i never focused on it.

Of course, we all had it in the back of our mind, that's what it represented, that's what was in the history."

Junior football player will donald was another member and says changing the name doesn't change how close knit the caledonia community is.

"we have been the confederates since i was playing football growing up but i don't see the name as representing caledonia the school, you know?"

"as a community as a whole, we have to represent something that all of us can stand by."

In caledonia...stephe n pimpo...wcbi news cavaliers, commodores and cardinals were the three choices presented for students to vote on.

The students we spoke with told us the majority of the feedback that they have heard about the change has been positive.

The school says they will also be keeping their cardinal and white school colors.

Stinger we've enjoyed a nice, quiet, and sunny stretch of weather for the last week, but it looks like our string of luck is coming to an end.

A cold front will move through on sunday, bringing more clouds and some isolated showers.

A stronger system will approach on wednesday and will bring rain and storms to the area.

Fortunately, it looks like thanksgiving will be dry.

Friday night: skies will remain mostly clear through midnight, but clouds will slowly increase by sunrise.

Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for high school football with lows in the mid 40s.

Winds will remain generally calm.

Saturday-sunday: all in all, our weekend isn't looking too shabby.

We'll see a mix of sun and clouds for both saturday and sunday with highs in the low 70s.

Morning lows will remain in the 40s and 50s.

A cold front will move through the area sunday, bringing the chance of some showers for areas along and north of i-22.

Overall, there probably won't be enough rain to ruin any plans.

Cooler air will move in behind the front to start off the workweek.

Monday-tuesday: we'll start off the week a bit cooler with highs in the 60s to near 70 and morning lows in the 40s.

Skies will remain partly cloudy for monday and tuesday.

Wednesday: our second cold front will approach the area wednesday morning, bringing rain and possibly s- the 60 to 70 rainstorms wednesday to check out drive for thursday mixes sunshiny clouds for turkey day friday looking good as well maybe a sprinkler to a mix of sunshiny clouds with some interest in the mid to upper 60s over and allows in the recent 50 ... 40 away from kickoff.

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