BRUNSWICK COUNTY, Va. — The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office has identified a body found in the area as 52-year-old Bobby Dean Whitaker from North Carolina.
Whitaker was from the the Durham area, according to authorities. The sheriff's office said it is not known why Whitaker was in Virginia and his cause of death has yet to be determined.
Authorities started investigating after a body was discovered Tuesday along Route 1 in Brunswick County near the Mecklenburg County line.
The Brunswick Sheriff's Office responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call at approximately 6:48 a.m.
The body was found just two feet off the roadway with no apparent attempt to conceal it, according to investigators.
“We do believe he was brought here by someone else and dumped at this location,” said Captain Joey Lopresti with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s office. “They made no attempt to conceal, I think the person that did drop our victim here, definitely wanted him to be seen, or was panicked and just needed him out of their possession.”
The body was found naked and had visible scratches, though investigators noted there were no obvious signs of trauma such as gunshot or knife wounds.
“He’s naked, so there is some suspiciousness, it is not a natural death, we know that right from the beginning,” Lopresti said. “But there is no apparent trauma, gunshot wound, knife wound, doesn’t seem to be any evidence he was struck by a vehicle, being so close to the roadway, that’s always a concern we look for.”
The man's remains were transported to the Medical Examiner's Office in Richmond for identification and to determine the cause of death.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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