The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office alerted the community to the discovery of a human body Thursday afternoon near the border with Orange County.

A release Friday morning said sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from a hiker around 4:10 p.m. who said they’d found a deceased person around 12500 U.S. 15-501 — which is near the Walmart store close to the county line. Upon arrival, deputies reported the body to be near a creek.

The sheriff’s office said investigators found “no apparent indications of foul play,” but said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the official cause of death, positively identify the person, and gather more details. The release said investigators do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public’s safety in this case.

The news comes as the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating another death within the two weeks that’s being treated as a homicide. 34-year-old Apex resident Hadeel Ghadhanfer Hikmat was identified this week as the body found in Jordan Lake on August 29. Authorities are still seeking information in the case, as the sheriff’s office said Hikmat’s death is not believed to be accidental or self-inflicted.

An update in the Hikmat case was also shared Friday morning, as the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said several other Wake County authorities helped deputies search two addresses (736 Treviso Lane in Apex and 1916 Wescott Drive in Raleigh) she had connections to. The alert once again encouraged community members who may have details or information helpful to the case to call the sheriff’s office at 919-542-2911.

Friday’s release about the death near 15-501 said the identity of the person will be publicly shared after the individual’s family is notified.

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