Lynching or Suicide?: The Death of Trey Reed

Demartravion “Trey” Reed. Courtesy of NBC.

At approximately 7:00 a.m. on September 15, 2025, a 21-year-old man named Demartravion “Trey” Reed was found hanging from a tree. A faculty member found Reed’s body hanging near the pickleball courts at Delta State University, a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi.

DSU Police Chief Peeler stated at a press conference that DSU campus police were notified of what seemed to be the body of a Black male hanging from a tree. Upon initial investigation it was found that there was no evidence of foul play; rather, it was first deemed a suicide. However, rumors of broken limbs and physical evidence of assault quickly spread on social media, a result of the state’s overwhelming history of lynching.

From 1882 to 1968, 581 lynchings occurred in Mississippi, the largest number out of any state, with the notable death of 14-year-old Emmett Till happening just 15 miles away from the site of Reed’s death in Drew, Mississippi on August 28, 1955. Reed’s death brought up painful memories of Mississippi’s history of racial violence, expressed by an Instagram post from the NAACP, saying, “you’d have to excuse our skepticism amidst growing racially motivated violence targeted at our communities across this nation,” responding to the initial reports reporting no foul play. 

The emotional effects of Reed’s death are also being felt by DSU students with expressions of wariness and fear. 21-year-old DSU student Kolby Horace told press on September 17, “I just want to know what the real answer is.” Mtume Mathews, president of DSU’s African American Student Council, expressed a similar sentiment. Acknowledging the confusion he and many fellow students were feeling about the case, he stated, “That’s why a lot of people are fearful in this moment.”

The university has since taken action to address the tragedy. Delta State President Dan Ennis spoke during a news conference later on Monday expressing that, “We recognize that this is not only about the facts,” continuing with, “It is about emotions, and it’s about feelings and the way this loss and how it was discovered affects people’s lives.” Additionally, the university’s 100th anniversary celebration, initially scheduled for Monday, was called off after Reed’s body was discovered. 

On September 16, Bolivar County Coroner Randolph “Rudy” Seals Jr. condemned rumors of lynching, stating that Reed, “did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault.” While determined in his statement, Seals also called to respect the family during their time of loss and offered condolences to the loved ones of Reed and the Delta State University community on behalf of the Bolivar County Coroner’s Office.

The statement by Seals was again confirmed by autopsy results from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled the death a suicide. 

Reed’s family’s attorney, Ben Crump, revealed that the family is now pursuing an independent autopsy, which will be funded by Colin Kaepernick's "Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative," which provides second autopsies for deaths that fall under in-custody deaths or deaths under suspicious circumstances. 

Crump has been very outspoken since the death of Reed, calling for action in a statement with the phrase, “Peace will come only by getting to the truth." The demands for truth include a request for surveillance footage of the death, the existence of which was confirmed by Peeler at a press conference held at the university with the statements, “There are videos,” and, “They are in the hands of the investigative team,” referring to a team led by the Cleveland police. 

Crump has been vigilant in demanding clarity in the case, stating that “By demanding the family be allowed to view any video and commissioning an independent autopsy, we are taking every step to uncover the truth about what happened to Trey.”

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves released a statement surrounding the case on Friday, September 19, praising the community for the vigil held the day before. Over 200 people gathered on the evening of September 18 at DSU, voicing prayer and reciting scripture while lighting candles in memory of Reed. Governor Tate Reeves then went on to thank all those that worked on Reed’s case, including the State Medical Examiner and the Bolivar County Coroner, before criticizing the narrative being spread on social media. 

In an attempt to unveil more information about the case, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) requested that the Trump administration open a federal investigation into Reed’s death. The administration has not yet responded to the request. Moreover, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have been given all materials tied to the investigation for review, with police noting that, “final toxicology results [from the autopsy] are pending and may take two to four weeks to complete,” in addition to results from the independent autopsy conducted by Reed’s family.

As of now, the case is on-going, and is becoming increasingly inflammatory as information continues to come out and opinion spreads across the media.