The FBI has asked to investigate the death of a black man whose body was found hanging in an abandoned house in Alabama

The Colbert County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama is asking the FBI to investigate the case of a black man whose body was found hanging in an abandoned home amid claims by his wife that his death was made to look like a suicide.

The sheriff’s office asked the FBI to investigate the death of 39-year-old Dennoris Richardson, whose body was found in September, according to Associated Press.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond Saturday to NBC News’ request for comment. The FBI said it was aware of the death but did not confirm or deny that it was involved in the investigation.

“The FBI is aware of the tragic death of Dennoriss Richardson and takes allegations of violations of federal law seriously,” the FBI said in a statement. “The FBI reviews allegations of criminal conduct for merit and conducts further investigations if there is evidence of a potential violation of federal law.”

Richardson was found hanging from a rope on September 28 at a home in Colbert County. According to AP, the sheriff’s office ruled his death a suicide.

However, his wife, Leigh Ann Richardson, is not convinced he committed suicide AL.com that demands an answer.

“It was supposed to look like suicide. It’s not suicide,” she told the news outlet.

She said her husband filed a federal lawsuit in February against Sheffield police, where they live, accusing her of engaging in inappropriate behavior while he was held at Sheffield City Jail in 2022. The last filing in the federal case was an application for parties foster with Dennoris Richardson’s wife.

A lawyer for the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to AL.com, Colbert County Sheriff Eric Balentine said police spoke with other members of Dennoriss Richardson’s family who said he suffered from depression.

“The district attorney’s office ordered an autopsy. The body was turned over to the Huntsville Department of Forensic Sciences. The cause of death was suicide,” Balentine said.

The AP reported that Sheriff Balentine confirmed that the FBI had accepted his request to investigate, stating that his department had “exhausted all resources” in the investigation.

Leigh Ann told AL.com that her husband, who was out on bail on drug charges at the time of his death, gave his son some of his jewelry because he was going back to prison to finish his sentence.

“He wasn’t depressed,” she said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com