The Selma Police Department (SPD) is investigating the death of a Selma man that occurred Saturday night.

Tarrence Callen, 41, was discovered in the backyard of an abandoned residence on Lapsley Street around 7 p.m. on Saturday.

SPD Chief Spencer Collier said the SPD Criminal Investigative Division and Crime Scene Unit responded and processed the scene.

Collier said the Dallas County Coroner also determined Callen was the victim of a homicide.

The murder of Callen marks the third homicide in Selma this year.

“In totality, the homicide rate and violent crime as a whole are down so far in 2019,” Collier said. “However, those statistics are meaningless to the victim’s family and rightfully so. We will commit the manpower needed to get answers in a timely manner.”

Callen’s body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for a full autopsy.