A Delta State University student said he saw Dematravion “Trey” Reed just hours before his death, which county coroners have officially ruled a suicide, as Reed’s family continues to call for an independent autopsy.
Reed, 21, was found hanging from a tree on the Mississippi campus on Sept. 15.
News of his death drew nationwide attention and triggered widespread speculation that his death might have been a lynching due to growing social and racial tensions across the country, and in light of the state’s history of racial violence against Black Americans.
Authorities ruled out foul play in a preliminary investigation, but many still weren’t convinced by their initial findings, including Reed’s family, who said they were given incorrect information about where the 21-year-old’s body was found.
Vanessa Jones, the Reed family attorney, told the press that Grenada deputies arrived at the family’s home just hours after Reed’s body was discovered and told them he was found dead in his dorm room.
Soon after, the family learned where Reed’s body was really found. They called for an independent autopsy to confirm the manner and cause of death.
“Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered a historic wound over many, many years and many, many deaths,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump. “Peace will come only by getting to the truth.”
On Sept. 18, the Cleveland Police Department released the results of an autopsy conducted by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s office that officially ruled Reed’s death a suicide. Authorities said they’re still awaiting toxicology results, which could take weeks to process.
A Bolivar County Coroner’s Office preliminary report also stated that no lacerations, contusions, broken bones, or injuries consistent with assault were found on Reed’s body.
Only hours before Reed’s death, African American Student Council President Jy’Quon Wallace said he encountered Reed on campus:
“I woke up that morning and heard that they found someone hanging from a fruit tree near Blansett Hall. You wonder who could it be,” 20-year-old Wallace told the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.
“That previous night, my roommate and I were about to go get some food, and I saw Trey sitting out there (in front of Blansett Hall) by himself on the phone. I asked him if he was OK. He looked up at me and then just looked down at his phone and didn’t say anything. I didn’t really press him, if he didn’t want to talk,” Wallace recounted.
“When my roommate and I came back, we saw him again at a distance, and he didn’t see us. I could tell he was real upset. He was making gestures and was acting like he was throwing stuff. He would kick the wall and then he stormed off toward Blansett Hall. He was just out of it. He was real upset, and I had never seen him like that before,” he described to the newspaper.
A candlelight vigil was held at Delta State University on Sept. 18 to honor Reed with prayers, choir music, and special remarks from several speakers, including the university’s president, Dan Ennis. Approximately 200 people, including students, staff members, and local residents, attended.
