Moss Point investigating homicide after man found dead in back yard

Moss Point Police are investigating a homicide after a resident called them this afternoon to report a dead body in their yard.

Chief Brandon Ashley said a call came into the police department between noon and 1 p.m. from a resident on Elder Ferry Road near Dutch Bayou Road. The caller said they found a dead body in their back yard.

Ashley said the deceased male had been shot. Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr., identified the victim as 18-year-old Jayrell Cox of Moss Point.

The chief also said that indications from the scene led them to believe the victim’s death was a homicide and his death is being investigated as such.

The area is in a neighborhood just west of Highway 63.

WXXV will update this story as more information becomes available.