Body Found Hanging Near Chester County School

WEST CHESTER, PA - Officials worked to block students from seeing a body hanging from a swing set in a park along the bus route to several schools in West Chester Monday morning, according to multiple reports.

The body of man, who was not a student, hung from the swing set in Marshall Square Park near East Marshall and North Matlack Streets at about 7 a.m., the school district said in a letter disbursed to parents on Monday:

The Marshall Square Park is located in the Fern Hill/Peirce/Henderson attendance boundary. Our transportation department re-routed any buses for this morning to avoid this area while the investigation was taking place, so none of our elementary buses traveled past that area. We did have some high school and middle school buses go through there before 7 a.m. and some high school students driving to Henderson may have witnessed the police activity.

The park is located near the West Chester Friends School and is a popular route for students at nearby public schools to walk through. Bus routes also go by the park.

The letter was sent to parents of all students at B. Reed Henderson High School, E.N. Peirce Middle School and Fern Hill Elementary School, according to NBC 10.

Police informed the school of the body at about 7 a.m., according to Philly.com.

The school has made counselors available for all students.

It’s not yet clear if this incident was a suicide.

Police are still investigating the matter.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.