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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Death of Mississippi university student found hanging on campus ruled a
suicide – but family raises questions
By Andy Rose, Devon M. Sayers, CNN
Updated:
10:04 AM EDT, Fri September 19, 2025
Source: CNN
The death of a Black student found hanging on Delta State
University’s campus in Mississippi this week has been ruled a
suicide, the county coroner said Thursday.
The body of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, 21, was found Monday morning
hanging from a tree near the university’s pickleball courts, campus
police Chief Michael Peeler announced earlier this week.
The incident raised questions by loved ones and led the university
president to acknowledge that the scene and image could be upsetting to
some students, given the history of racial violence in the Jim Crow
South.
All investigative material in the “active” case has been turned
over to the FBI and the US attorney office for review, according to a
Thursday news release from the Cleveland Police Department.
“I condemn the rumors circulating regarding his death,” Mississippi
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said in the news
release.
Authorities had previously said no foul play was suspected in the
death.
“Based on the preliminary examination, we can confirm that the
deceased did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound
fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault,”
said Bolivar County Coroner Randolph “Rudy” Seals Jr. in a earlier
this week.
“There are videos, and they are in the hands of the investigative
team,” Peeler said.
Family seeks ‘transparency’
Delta State President Dan Ennis asked for calm as the investigation
continues — but said he understands why people want immediate
answers.
“We recognize that this is not only about the facts,” Ennis said.
“It is about emotions, and it’s about feelings and the way this
loss and how it was discovered affects people’s lives.”
Family members of Reed retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, his
office announced Tuesday.
“We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain,”
Crump said in a statement. “I stand with this family, and I will lead
a team of civil rights leaders and organizations in pursuing
transparency and answers for Trey’s family.”
Crump is demanding that all video footage related the death
investigation be shown to the family.
The family will commission its own independent autopsy, Crump said, to
be paid for by the Autopsy Initiative, part of the Know Your Rights
Camp organization founded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has
suffered a historic wound over many, many years and many, many
deaths,” Crump said in a statement released Friday. “Peace will
come only by getting to the truth.”
Delta State is in Cleveland, a northwestern Mississippi town about 115
miles from Memphis, Tennessee. Its last year was 2,654 students, the
university reported, nearly 43% of whom were Black. Figures for this
academic year have not yet been released.
Since the news of Reed’s death became widely spread on social media,
Ennis said the campus has increased law enforcement presence in
response to threats.
An celebrating the 100th anniversary of the university scheduled for
Monday was canceled after Reed’s remains were discovered.
Case has disturbing historical context
Ennis, who is White, said he understands why the circumstances of
Reed’s death are especially troubling to many students.
“I admit that I am not adequate to speak to the imagery that this
incident raises and acknowledge my weakness in that regard,” he said.
Family members said Tuesday that Reed was excited about his future, and
they had seen no signs to cause concern.
“When he went back to Delta State University, he was a fun-loving
person, and our question is: What happened?” said family attorney
Vanessa J. Jones, according to CNN affiliate .
The call for a more intensive investigation was echoed by a member of
Congress who represents the area.
“We must leave no stone unturned in the search for answers,”
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson Tuesday, demanding a federal
investigation.
“While the details of this case are still emerging, we cannot ignore
Mississippi’s painful history of lynching and racial violence against
African Americans.”
Thompson is requesting that the Trump administration open a federal
investigation into Reed’s death. The administration confirmed that it
had received Thompson’s request but has not yet responded to it,
Thompson press secretary Yasmine Brown told CNN on Wednesday.
A decade ago, federal agents investigated the death of Otis Byrd, a
54-year-old Black man found from a tree in rural Claiborne County,
Mississippi. The Justice Department in 2015 after determining “there
was no evidence to prove that Byrd’s death was a homicide.”
Reed’s remains were discovered only hours before another Mississippi
resident was found hanged more than 100 miles away. The body of Cory
Zukatis was found in Vicksburg Monday afternoon, . The death of
Zukatis, a 35-year-old White man, was not believed to be connected to
the Reed case, Police Chief Larry Burns told the newspaper.
Despite the shocking death at Delta State and reports of threats
directed at the school, Peeler said students on campus are safe.
“This is an isolated incident,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the total number
of students enrolled at Delta State University in 2024. It was 2,654
CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
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