The individual, identified by the Associated Press as 37-year-old Herbert Ray Price Jr, was apparently attempting to steal copper from a utility pole at Alpha’s Talon Loadout near Bandytown, Boone County, when he was electrocuted.

A time of death was not made available. The man’s body was found on mine property sometime early Tuesday morning.

While there was some question as to whether the person killed was a miner, Alpha spokesperson Ted Pile told ILNhe was not.

“We were informed by a 911 call,” he said.

“The victim was not an employee of any Alpha company.”

West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training spokeswoman Leslie Fitzwater confirmed the official cause of death was electrocution and that the agency, the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department were all investigating.

The sheriff’s office told the AP that it believed another person might have been involved in the theft attempt.