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NATCHEZ — No criminal charges have been filed in the case of a man’s body mysteriously discovered inside the trunk of his car on Cindy Lane in Natchez last week.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said investigators are relying on an autopsy to determine how to proceed with the investigation, whether the death was accidental or not.

Christopher Lee Sanders, 45, had been reported missing to Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, April 11. Within 24 hours of the report, his body was found inside the locked trunk of his car parked on Cindy Lane, located just off of U.S. 61 North. There was no way of opening the trunk from the inside, Patten said.

Sanders was last seen alive on April 4.

Adams County Coroner James Lee said he has not received any confirmation from the state crime lab that they have begun the autopsy.

“Typically, it could take two weeks for them to start,” he said. “To get a report can take a year, but they sometimes will have a preliminary report before then.”

Meanwhile, Patten said his investigators have not been idle.

“We’ve interviewed eight people in reference to this case trying to build a timeline from when he was last seen to his death,” Patten said. “Every single person we have called in has been cooperative.”

Patten said the first people interviewed had been in a house near where the car was parked. Patten said the residents knew about an odor emanating from the trunk of the car but could not get inside. They also did not call authorities, stating they didn’t know what was inside.

“The car had no power and the key was broken off,” he said. “When we got there, we couldn’t open the trunk ourselves. We had to call Natchez Fire Department to get it open.”

Patten said he would update family members and then media as more information becomes available, adding, “It’s still an ongoing investigation.”