Youth find body in woods while walking in Sparta

Sparta police were contacted Tuesday at about 8 p.m. after youth walking in the woods found a body northwest of the Walmart store.

Officers met with the youth and got directions to the approximate location of the body in a thick brushy area on top of a hill. Due to the terrain and location, the Sparta Area Fire Department was called to help recover the body.

Sparta Police Chief David Kuderer said the body appeared to be a man in his twenties who has been dead for a long period of time. Because of the lengthy exposure to the elements, police could not identify the man at the scene. Chief Kuderer said foul play was not indicated.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner was called to the scene. The body was transported to the University Hospital in Madison for an autopsy.