Police in Missouri have said the body of a man found hanging from a tree appears to be that of a white, homeless person who took his own life, following reports on social media of a possible lynching.

Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a Democrat who serves in the Missouri State Senate, was among those who posted images and reports on Twitter saying that a man was “lynched overnight in North County”.

The Belleville News-Democrat newsaper said that police went to the scene in St Louis and began an investigation.

Police subsequently said the body was that of a 53 year-old man, and they believed that he was homeless.

Police said they would release the man’s name once they notified his next of kin.