The body of 21-year-old Demartravion “Trey” Reed was discovered hanging from a tree Monday morning near the pickleball courts at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Campus police said they found no evidence of foul play or threats to the community, but Reed’s death has fueled outrage online, with many questioning the official narrative. Classes were canceled that day for the university’s 2,700 students.
The NAACP voiced skepticism about suicide, writing in an Instagram post, “Our people have not historically hung ourselves from trees.” The group called Reed’s death part of a troubling pattern of racially motivated violence.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, retained by Reed’s family, announced an independent investigation. “We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain,” he said.
The Bolivar County Coroner’s Office pushed back on rumors that Reed showed signs of assault, saying preliminary exams revealed no lacerations, fractures, or other injuries consistent with an attack.
The FBI said it stands ready to intervene if evidence of a federal crime emerges. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is assisting campus police, who are leading the case.
Hundreds of students gathered Monday night for a vigil. University President Daniel Ennis called Reed’s death heartbreaking and pledged support for the family.
The case recalls other deaths of Black men found hanging in Mississippi, where families have long disputed suicide rulings and pointed to the state’s history of lynchings — most infamously the 1955 killing of Emmett Till.
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