MERRY HILL, N.C. (WNCT) – The unclothed, headless body of a man found last Thursday in Bertie County has been identified as an escaped inmate.

26-year-old Kelvin Singleton’s partially decomposed body was found decapitated Sunday off Ashland Church Road in Merry Hill.

The Bertie County Sheriff’s Office said Singleton escaped from the Chowan County Jail in March.

Singleton used a weapon-like tool made from his toothbrush and forced an officer to release him.

Singleton was in jail on armed robbery and kidnapping charges, while also facing several charges in Charlotte including assault with a deadly weapon.

The Bertie County Sheriff’s Office and the SBI are investigating this case as a homicide.

If you have any information concerning this investigation, you are asked to contact Bertie County Sheriff John Holley at (252) 794-5330.