Body found in rubble could be first death from downtown Atlanta tornado, police say

ATLANTA -- Workers found a body Saturday while clearing rubble from a building damaged more than a week ago when a tornado slammed into downtown Atlanta, police said.

"We may have the first tornado victim in the city of Atlanta, but we won't know for sure until the medical examiner" returns with results, officer James Polite said.

The man had no identification, but he was wearing a wedding band, Polite said.

The front of the damaged building had been a store while the rear had been rented out to a local church. Workers using a Bobcat to scoop up bricks and debris saw a hand sticking out of the rubble and called police, Polite said.

Investigators brought in two cadaver dogs to search the rubble east of downtown, but no other bodies were found.

The tornado ripped through the city's downtown March 14, knocking out hundreds of windows, scattering debris across the city's core and sending trees crashing into homes in nearby neighborhoods. At least 27 people were injured in the storm.

Another tornado that hit northwest Georgia on March 15 killed two Polk County residents.