Body found near JD's Quick Stop identified

The Butler County Coroner's Office and Poplar Bluff Police Department have identified the body of a man found Wednesday behind JD's Quick Stop on North Main Street as Michael Eugene Barnett, 40, of Poplar Bluff and previously of Jonesboro, Arkansas.

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The Butler County Coroner's Office and Poplar Bluff Police Department have identified the body of a man found Wednesday behind JD's Quick Stop on North Main Street.

Butler County coroner Jim Akers has identified the man as Michael Eugene Barnett, 40, of Poplar Bluff and previously of Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Akers made a Facebook post seeking help in identifying Barnett. As a result of the post, a citizen found Barnett’s wallet on a city street and took it to JD's Quick Stop. Employees there called PBPD and turned the wallet over to them. From there, Barnett’s family was able to identify him by a tattoo on his arm and a necklace he wore.

Barnett was homeless and was found in an abandoned house, where he fell through two stories of rotten floor and became lodged, according to reports.

Barnett did not have any identification or phone on his person, Akers reported, and could not be identified by fingerprints and a search of arrest records for a matching tattoo was unsuccessful.

While Barnett was recognized in a neighborhood canvas of businesses, no one could identify him, authorities say. He also was not found in any state Probation and Parole records.