The death of a Black student found hanging at Delta State University in Mississippi this week is raising questions, and the university’s police chief hopes to have some answers by the end of the week.
“We ask for continuing patience and compassion as this investigation proceeds,” Chief Michael Peeler said in a news conference Wednesday.
The body of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, 21, was found Monday morning hanging from a tree near the university’s pickleball courts, Peeler announced earlier this week.
The incident 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.
An autopsy is being performed at the Mississippi State Crime Laboratory. Peeler said preliminary results should be available in the next few days.
Investigators say they have found no signs of foul play so far.
“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 written statement.
Peeler added that they are looking at visual evidence in the case. “There are videos, and they are in the hands of the investigative team,” he 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.
Delta State President Dan Ennis speaks during a news conference on Monday. – WABG
“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.
Additionally, Crump and Reed’s family will commission an independent autopsy to “verify the findings of the state medical examiner and ensure no question goes unanswered,” the attorney’s office said in a news release Wednesday.
Delta State is in Cleveland, a northwestern Mississippi town about 115 miles from Memphis, Tennessee. Its enrollment 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 event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the university was scheduled for Monday but 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.
The Cleveland Police Department is now the lead agency in the investigation, Peeler said. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is assisting, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN, but declined to give any details on the case.
Family members said Tuesday that Reed was excited about his future, and they had seen no signs to cause concern.
A Delta State University stadium is seen in Cleveland, Mississippi, in 2017. – Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
“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 WHBQ.
The call for a more intensive investigation was echoed by the member of Congress who represents the area.
“We must leave no stone unturned in the search for answers,” Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson wrote 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 hanging from a tree in rural Claiborne County, Mississippi. The Justice Department closed the case 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, according to the Vicksburg Post. 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
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