Body found in trunk; no foul play suspected

By Rupert Howell
Batesville Police Assistant Chief Jimmy McCloud said his department expected no foul play concerning the body of a man found in the trunk of his car on Stone Drive near Lowe’s and Highway 6 East and the I-55 Intersection Sunday morning.
Randall Beauregard of Pope-Water Valley Road was found by a family member in the trunk of his car.
Beauregard was reported missing earlier in the week by family members and an electronic search for his cell phone led law enforcement to the automobile which appeared empty according to Panola County Chief Deputy Chris Franklin.
The family member went to the vehicle Sunday morning and found him in the trunk according to officials.
McCloud said both his department and Panola County Sheriff’s Department are involved in the investigation as well as Panola County Coroner Gracie Grant Gulledge who was also on the scene Sunday morning.
McCloud said Monday that no charges are expected but investigators are awaiting autopsy or toxicology reports. Circumstances and no obvious struggle are two factors leading law enforcement to believe foul play was not involved.
Mickey Poole, who parks his trucks at the site, said he noticed the car parked by his truck there for two or three days—first noticing it on Friday. Concerned about break-ins, he said he got the tag number.
When he  returned Sunday morning to check on his truck, he said he saw a lady parked right beside it. He left and returned to find an abundance of law enforcement personnel and that’s when he learned a deceased white male had been located in the trunk.