The investigation continues into who is responsible for hanging a noose in a residence hall under demolition at Illinois State University and a copycat incident involving a mannequin in another dorm.

Work resumed Wednesday morning to demolish Dunn-Barton and Walker residence halls, said ISU spokesman Jay Groves.

Officials with Bloomington-based Laborers’ Local 362 stopped the demolition after the apparently racially motivated threat was found Monday at the worksite. David Penn, business manager for the union, which has six workers at the job site, stopped the work to assess the situation.

ISU Police Chief Ronald Swan said two detectives have been assigned full time to investigate the appearance of a noose about 8 inches long that was hanging from a beam in a work area of a Laborers member who is black.

He added detectives also are investigating the discovery of a small mannequin found Tuesday night hanging in a lounge on the 18th floor of Hewett Hall, a nearby residence hall not involved in the demolition project.

Swan said the small mannequin depicting a white female with red hair and covered in green artificial turf was found hanging by the cord of window drapes.

A police report said the mannequin was discovered around 10 p.m. by residence hall staff.

“Obviously it’s a copycat incident, but it’s a disgusting and sad commentary on society,” Swan said. “We will be using a great deal of police effort to find the perpetrators of these crimes.”

Swan said the person or people responsible could face hate crime-related charges. However, Swan said exactly what charges they could face would be determined based on the evidence found in the investigation.

River City Construction of Peoria is the general contractor for the demolition project. A receptionist said the company would have no comment on the incident.

Previously Penn said Laborers’ Local 362 has zero-tolerance for this type of incident.