The family of a Black student, Demartravion “Trey” Reed, who was found hanging from a tree on the campus of Delta State University, is seeking an independent autopsy.
“We want answers, and we’re going to launch our own independent investigation to get those answers,” Vanessa J. Jones, an attorney representing Reed’s family, said during a press conference on Tuesday.
“We will seek answers independently from Delta State University and from the coroner’s office, and if need be, independent from the state coroner’s office, because we need answers as to what happened to Trey Reed.”
Newsweek has contacted Jones’ office for comment via an email sent outside regular business hours. The Bolivar County Coroner has been contacted for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The body of the 21-year-old student was found hanging from a tree on the university campus near the pickleball courts shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday, according to university police.
Officials have said there was no evidence of foul play. But the case has drawn widespread attention, skepticism and calls for transparency.
It has also evoked Mississippi’s history of Jim Crow-era racist violence. The university campus in Cleveland is about 30 miles from a site closely associated with the infamous lynching of Emmett Till.
What To Know
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced on Tuesday that he has been retained by Reed’s family and will undertake an independent investigation into the student’s death. “We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain,” he said in a statement.
In the wake of Reed’s death, online rumors had circulated alleging he was found with broken limbs and other injuries that were inconsistent with suicide—which were disputed by Bolivar County Coroner Randolph Seals Jr.
In a statement reported by local news outlets, Seals said a preliminary examination found Reed “did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault.”
Seals said Reed’s body was in the care of the coroner’s office and will be transported to the Mississippi Crime Lab for an autopsy.
Delta State University Chief of Police Michael Peeler said the investigation into Reed’s death is ongoing. The investigation is being assisted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation as well as the local police and sheriff’s deputies, he told reporters on Monday.
What People Are Saying
Attorney Vanessa J. Jones said Reed was a “joyful,” “full of life” and “eager” to be at the university.
She said: “Were there cameras? There should have been cameras at the university that could easily enlighten us as to what happened in the early morning of September 15, 2025.”
She added the family is “not going to point fingers at anybody. We’re not going to call anybody names. All we want is answers from technology.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement: “Trey Reed was a young man full of promise and warmth, deeply loved and respected by all who knew him. His family and the campus community deserve a full, independent investigation to uncover the truth about what happened. We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain. 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.”
Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said in a statement on Tuesday: “We must leave no stone unturned in the search for answers. While the details of this case are still emerging, we cannot ignore Mississippi’s painful history of lynching and racial violence against African Americans. My deepest condolences and prayers are with Trey’s family during this difficult time.”
Thompson also called for the FBI to investigate, saying the bureau “has the tools and experience necessary to conduct a thorough, unbiased inquiry, and time is of the essence.”
The NAACP said in a post on Instagram: “While initial reports offered no evidence of ‘foul play’, you’d have to excuse our skepticism amid growing racially motivated violence targeted at our communities across this nation. So while we await more formal autopsy reports and information, we offer this piece of history with a level of certainty: Our people have not historically hung ourselves from trees …”
Delta State University President Dan Ennis said in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday: “What we want to communicate to the community is that we know that as a university, we’re given a trust. People come here to learn. They come here to be safe, and they come here to thrive, and one of our students is gone, and we will never forget that. We continue to meet with and be in contact with Trey’s family. We give them our love and support and we know that we can never fully heal this wound.”
He added: “We are continuing to cooperate with investigators. We continue to make sure that all the information necessary is given to authorities. And we continue to hope for answers.”
What’s Next
The Delta State University Police Department will host a press conference in conjunction with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement at 10 a.m. CDT on Wednesday.