AP sources: Insurance probed in census taker death

The Associated Press

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 | 4:25 p.m.

A census taker found hanging from a tree had named his son as his life insurance beneficiary, and investigators are looking into whether the father manipulated the death scene to make a claim possible, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press Thursday.

In an interview with AP, Josh Sparkman said he found paperwork for the private life insurance policy among his father, Bill Sparkman's, personal files but wasn't sure of the amount or when it was taken out. He said authorities have told him nothing about the case or produced a death certificate, which is usually needed to make an insurance claim.

Two law enforcement sources, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case, said investigators are trying to determine if Bill Sparkman manipulated the death scene, so his son could collect.

Sparkman's naked body was found Sept. 12 near a family cemetery in a heavily wooded area of southeastern Kentucky. One of the witnesses who found the body said the 51-year-old was bound with duct tape, gagged and had an identification badge taped to his neck. Homicide, suicide and an accident were all being considered as a manner of death, authorities said. Life insurance policies typically do not cover suicide.

"If it's deemed suicide, there's no point in even looking at insurance," Josh Sparkman said. "There's no such thing as suicide insurance. The money is not the concern. I just want to know what happened to my dad."

Josh Sparkman, 20, who is unemployed, said he's convinced his father could not have committed suicide, even though law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity say they are looking closely at that possibility and increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job.

There were no defensive wounds on Sparkman's body, and while his hands were bound with duct-tape, they were still somewhat mobile, suggesting he could have manipulated the rope, the officials said. Sparkman was found hanging from the tree yet in contact with the ground.

Kentucky State Police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski declined to comment on whether a life insurance policy connection was being probed. She said investigators still have not determined the manner of death and were still awaiting forensic tests.

Josh Sparkman said he also received a letter from the census about how to collect his father's final payroll check and information about death compensation the government might owe him.

"It's not much, nothing substantial," he said. "It's not like it's enough to pay off the house or anything."

Because he was a census employee, Bill Sparkman's family would be eligible for up to $10,000 in death gratuity payments if he was killed in the line of duty, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. He was not eligible for a separate life insurance policy through the government because his census work was intermittent, Census Bureau spokesman Stephen Buckner said.

Sparkman said his father last updated his will in 1993, listing Josh as the heir to the estate, including the London, Ky., home valued at $80,000, according to Laurel County property records. Friends chipped in to help gather the money for one monthly mortgage check, but Sparkman said he remains behind on other payments.

"My dad never really cared about material things," he said. "It's not what mattered to him. His friends, his family _ that's the kind of stuff you care about. He would do without to see someone in his family do better."

The son said he noticed no changes in his father in the weeks before his death that would suggest he was upset about anything. In their final phone conversation, his father mentioned he was still trying to land a full-time teaching job but remained upbeat, he said.

Josh Sparkman said he is convinced his father's death was murder, in part because there were several items missing and apparently stolen from the car. Police have declined to comment about any of the items except the census computer, which was not found although its case was.

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Barrett reported from Washington. Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report.