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

The Colbert County Sheriff's Office in Alabama is asking the FBI to investigate a case involving a Black man whose body was found hanging in an abandoned home while his wife claimed his death was portrayed as a suicide .

The sheriff's office requested FBI involvement in the death of 39-year-old Dennoriss Richardson, whose body was found in September, according to The Associated Press.

The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Saturday. The FBI said it was aware of the death but would neither confirm nor deny that it was involved in an 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 on their merits and conducts further investigations when there are indications of a possible violation of federal law.”

Richardson was found hanging from a rope in a Colbert County home on Sept. 28. The sheriff's office ruled his death a suicide, the AP reported.

But his wife, Leigh Ann Richardson, is not convinced he died by suicide and told AL.com she demands answers.

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

She said her husband filed a federal lawsuit in February against police in Sheffield, where they live, accusing them of engaging in abusive behavior while he was incarcerated at Sheffield City Jail in 2022. She said he had surrogate parties with Dennoriss Richardson's wife.

An attorney for the sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Colbert County Sheriff Eric Balentine said police have spoken to other family members of Dennoriss Richardson who said he was depressed, according to AL.com.

“The DA’s office ordered an autopsy. The body was sent to the Department of Forensic Science in Huntsville. The cause of death was suicide,” Balentine said.

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

Leigh Ann told AL.com that her husband, who was out on bail for a drug offense at the time of his death, had given his son some of his jewelry because he would be returning to prison to serve a sentence.

“He wasn’t depressed,” she said.