According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, foul play is suspected in the death of 30-year-old Jace Brandon Sparkman, a McMinnville man whose body was found in the backseat of a car with the engine running outside Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital last week.

Captain Steven Leffew of the Smithville Police Department said the staff at Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital discovered the body of an unidentified person in the backseat of a car in the hospital parking lot early last Wednesday morning.

Leffew, in a prepared statement, said: "On Wednesday, October 7 at approximately 2:17 a.m. the Smithville Police Department was dispatched to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital in regards to a deceased body being found in the backseat of a vehicle in the parking lot. The death was deemed to be of a suspicious nature. District Attorney Bryant Dunaway, along with investigators from the District Attorney's Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, responded to the scene."

The vehicle’s engine was reportedly found to be running when the body was discovered.

"I would like to thank CEO Sue Conley and the staff of Saint Thomas-DeKalb Hospital for their cooperation and hospitality during this investigation." Captain Leffew said.

This case is under investigation by the TBI and Smithville Police, and the cause of death has not yet been released.