NATCHEZ — Investigators suspect a botched robbery led to the death of a Natchez man who was apparently beaten to death with his own cane.

When Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived on the scene at 87 LaGrange Road Wednesday, they discovered the house’s lone occupant, 61-year-old Clark Felton Jr., lying face up in a puddle of his own blood on the dining room floor, Investigator Maj. Ricky Stevens said.

Felton’s wife, who lives at a separate location, discovered the body, Stevens said.

“She had been trying to call him all day and did not get an answer, so she went over to check on him,” he said.

The deputies responded to the call at approximately 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

It was immediately evident that it was a murder scene and not some sort of accident in which the victim had fallen and hit his head, Adams County Coroner James Lee said.

“I never even considered that,” Lee said.

Later, the autopsy revealed that Felton had received sharp trauma to the head, neck and throat and had bled to death.

“It was an awful scene,” Lee said. “I am almost in denial about it, that someone would beat someone like that and leave them to bleed to death.”

Investigators believe the dining room was where the eventually fatal beating took place, and Stevens said based on the state of the blood at the scene it happened sometime Tuesday night.

The murder weapon was not at the scene of the crime, however, and the search for the weapon continued throughout the day Thursday until approximately 3 p.m., when Felton’s cane was discovered broken near the tree line in a wooded area off of LaGrange Road.

“We believe he was beaten with his own cane,” Stevens said. “When we get it to the crime lab we will get it verified.”

A cell phone discovered along with the cane was also determined to belong to the victim, Stevens said

The ACSO has suspects in the case, Stevens said, and the matter is under continued investigation.