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Officials hope tattoos help ID body
Autopsy report didn't determine cause or time of death
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Tattoos are what investigators hope will lead them to identify the man whose badly decomposed body was found near New Holland Mill on Monday.

The "most identifiable" marking says "white trash" and is located on the man's front torso, said Col. Jeff Strickland, spokesman for Hall County Sheriff's Office. A tattoo of a woman on the man's left calf is also visible, he added.

An autopsy performed late Tuesday at the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office did not conclude with specifics on the cause or time of death.

The autopsy report did determine the man as being white, Strickland said, adding that no visible signs of trauma, such as gunshot or stab wounds, were found.

"Investigators are estimating he was dead for three to five weeks," he said.

A landscaping crew discovered the body in a creek between New Holland Mill and the railroad around 2 p.m. Monday.

The man was dressed in tan pants, a grey sweat shirt with a hood and white tennis shoes, Strickland said.

Investigators are studying missing persons reports and interviewing homeless men and women known to frequent the railroad areas.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Division at 770-531-6879.