Multiple agencies investigate death of Starkville man

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A person of interest is in custody after the body of a missing Starkville man is found in a wooded area of Lowndes County.

UPDATE: Lowndes County homicide suspect appears in court for unrelated charges

Multiple sources tell WCBI that an evening of gambling left Jarrel Ward, 24, with a large amount of money.

That was last week, and he had not been seen since.

There are a lot of questions currently unanswered as to what happened to Ward, where it happened and why.

A meeting between the different agencies was held at Starkville Police Headquarters, and with notes exchanged and a gameplan, there’s a heightened confidence the answer to those questions will be found.

It was a restless night for law enforcement Wednesday night after Ward’s body was found in Lowndes County late that evening.

“We’ve been working this around the clock,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge.

Ward’s body was found on Sand Road, just north of Columbus City Limits.

“A call came in to 911, and it was from a citizen out there that lived in the area and found the body and reported it,” Arledge said.

The investigation is still early and ongoing, and even though there are several questions unanswered Arledge says there’s no question that it’s homicide.

“Some question could be did the homicide occur there? Did it occur somewhere else in the county or somewhere else in the city and then it was place there? That’s some of the things that we’re trying to get answers on,” the Sheriff said.

A suspect in Ward’s murder has already been arrested, Joshua Murry, 27. However, Arledge says Murry’s current charges aren’t related to the investigation.

“He is not in custody at this time for that homicide, on unrelated charges,” Arledge specified. “We feel very confident that in the very near future, maybe just within a day or so, that charges will be filed against this subject.”

As mentioned, multiple agencies are on this investigation, including Starkville PD and the DA’s office, all putting things together to make sure they have a good case to bring before a grand jury when the evidence points to a certain person or persons.

We will continue to bring you updates as they come.