Police investigated the second public hanging in Boulder in a week Tuesday, but officials say they do not suspect foul play or see any connection between the two deaths.

The body of a man with wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair was found on its knees, hanging from rope attached to a tree branch Tuesday morning on Moorhead Avenue east of 27th Way.

The body was discovered in a small wooded area east of Baseline Liquor and west of some tennis courts along Moorhead.

Last Wednesday, Boulder police responded to a report of a man found hanging from a tree near his home in the 1100 block of Monroe Drive. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office later identified the body as that of Mark David Louden, 45.

A coroner’s investigation into the cause and manner of Louden’s death is ongoing. The coroner also will identify and rule on Tuesday’s death.

Boulder police Detective Cmdr. Ron Gosage said Tuesday that the department does not believe there’s any link between the two cases.

“There’s nothing to indicate that there’s a connection between either of these individuals, and there’s also nothing to indicate anything suspicious at this point with either of these two investigations,” he said.

Speaking generally, Gosage said suicide by “positional asphyxiation,” in which the individual cuts off oxygen to the brain by leaning or slouching, is somewhat common in Boulder. The police department responds to “several” such cases every year, he said.

Public hangings, however, are rare.

“I wouldn’t say they’re common, but they do happen,” he said. “Unfortunately, we had two in the course of a week.”

Sarah Kuta: 303-473-1106, kutas@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta