Death of a Student in Mississippi – Why the Case of Trey Reed Raises Doubts

On September 15, 2025, shortly after sunrise, 21-year-old Demartravion “Trey” Reed was found on the campus of Delta State University in the state of Mississippi - hanging from a tree near the pickleball courts. It was an image that etched itself deeply into the memory of a region where the collective trauma of racist violence has never disappeared. Immediately, the discovery evoked memories of lynchings, of Emmett Till and all the countless victims of a history that the country has still not come to terms with. Demartravion “Trey” Reed

Only a few hours later, the authorities declared it suicide. County Coroner Randolph “Rudy” Seals released an official statement that ruled out any suspicion of a crime. “No lacerations, no contusions, no compound fractures, no broken bones, no injuries consistent with an assault,” the document stated. Everything pointed to Trey having taken his own life. The family should be respected, and investigators should be given patience. But it is precisely this clarity that sows doubt.

The relatives were initially told that their son had been found in his dorm room. Later the authorities corrected themselves: he had been hanging outside on a tree. This discrepancy is more than a communication error - it raises questions about care, transparency, and possibly even cover-up. Added to this were rumors of alleged injuries, of broken bones. The coroner explicitly denied this, yet on social media images and claims circulated that suggested the opposite. Such contradictions, once in the world, cannot be retracted. The family was allowed to see Trey only at the head during the identification. The rest of the body remained hidden from them - a circumstance that explains why they could not make any statements about possible injuries. Precisely for this reason they rely on official information, which, however, was contradictory, and now demand an independent autopsy to gain clarity about the actual condition of their son.

On September 15, 2025, the Bolivar County Coroner’s Office was informed by the Cleveland Police Department at around 7:30 am about an unresponsive person on the campus of Delta State University. Shortly thereafter, staff found 21-year-old Trey Reed hanging from a tree, showing no signs of life. “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. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest the individual was physically attacked before his death.”

The body was taken into the custody of the coroner and transported to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for further examination. At the same time, the agency asked the public for patience and to respect the family in their grief while waiting for the results of the full autopsy.

The family does not trust the authorities. Together with well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump, they demanded in a press conference that all video footage that could show Trey’s last path be made public. Here too, the authorities are currently blocking. Crump spoke of “serious concerns after conflicting reports and incomplete information.” In his statement he said: “Trey’s family deserves answers they can trust. We cannot accept rushed conclusions when the stakes are this high.” The demand is clear: transparency, access to every video, disclosure of all documents.

Attorney Ben Crump demands that video footage in the investigation of Trey Reed’s death be shown to his family

CLEVELAND, Miss. (September 17, 2025) – Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump issued a statement demanding that all video footage connected to the investigation into the death of Demartravion “Trey” Reed be shown to the family. The 21-year-old Delta State University student had been found dead on campus earlier that week. At a press conference today, university officials and local police said there was video material currently under review and that preliminary findings suggested no evidence of foul play. However, Trey’s family expressed serious concerns after receiving conflicting accounts and incomplete information about the circumstances of his death. Attorney Crump, the family, and their civil rights partners will also commission a separate, independent autopsy to verify the findings of the state medical examiner and ensure that no question remains unanswered.

Attorney Crump stated: “Trey’s family deserves answers they can trust. We cannot accept rushed conclusions when the stakes are this high. By demanding that the family be allowed to view any video and by commissioning an independent autopsy, we are taking every step to uncover the truth about what happened to Trey. Every student deserves to feel safe where they live and learn. That is why it is so important to get to the bottom of this tragedy.”

Support now comes from a prominent side. Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who became famous for his protest against police violence and at the same time a hate figure of conservative America, is funding an independent second autopsy. Through his “Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative,” it is to be determined whether the findings of the state medical examiner hold up. Kaepernick said: “Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered a historic wound over many, many years and many, many deaths. Peace will come only by getting to the truth.” Words that name the dimension of the case: This is not just about one student, but about the credibility of state institutions in a country with a deeply scarred past.

The official line remains steadfast: no signs of violence, no evidence of a crime. But the family points to the changed statements, the rumors, the lack of transparency. Crump put it sharply: every student deserves to feel safe where they live and learn. That is why it is so important to get to the bottom of this tragedy. Meanwhile, Delta State University lowered the flags to half-staff, students gathered for prayer, candles burned for Trey. But the open questions do not fall silent. Were all camera recordings secured, or are there gaps? Why was the family first told a false location? Why such haste before the investigations are complete? We had to note that the authorities hinder clarification rather than support it. The message coming from there is clear: please no further questions

Toxicology results are still pending, the report of the independent autopsy is still not available. Yet it is already clear: The case of Trey Reed will not only be measured by its outcome, but by the path taken there. By the transparency, the willingness to admit mistakes, the seriousness with which the authorities respond to the concerns of a Black family. In Mississippi a young man is being buried. Whether he is the victim of a desperate suicide or of a crime never clarified will have to be answered by medical examiners and experts. But the mistrust triggered by this case tells of something larger - of a democracy in which the wounds of the past have not healed, but tear open again with every new tragedy.

We have researched and established without doubt that the toxicology results were not even available when the cause of death was announced. Nevertheless, investigators already spoke of suicide and urged calm. It is precisely this premature approach that fuels mistrust - especially in a region that has learned not to blindly trust official statements. The circumstances remain strangely contradictory. Witnesses say they saw Trey the night before in an agitated state, gesturing on the phone, kicking the wall, visibly upset. Such descriptions fit the picture of a young man in crisis, but not of someone who had given up or was in acute suicidal danger. “He was full of energy, full of plans. That just did not fit Trey,” says a student.

Why an authority communicated suicide as “established” within just a few hours - before toxicology tests were complete, before all video evidence was reviewed and made publicly verifiable - remains opaque. Added to this is the location. A young Black student, found hanging from a tree in Mississippi - this is not just any setting, but a symbolic space in which history resonates. Anyone who knows the scars of Emmett Till understands why any hasty explanation is perceived as an affront. In a society that has learned that state agencies all too often twist evidence, criminalize victims, and protect perpetrators, trust cannot be built by mere reassurances. All these contradictions, inconsistencies, and unanswered questions make it clear: The death of Trey Reed is not a case that can be filed away before every trace has truly been secured, every recording checked, every toxicology result published, and every voice heard. Only then can trust be regained - and only then will a tragedy not become another chapter in the history of systematic cover-up.

And another circumstance fueled the doubts: On the same day Trey Reed was found, another man was discovered hanging from a tree in Mississippi. While Trey Reed was a 21-year-old Black student at Delta State University, the second death that same day involved 35-year-old white homeless man Cory Zukatis, who was found hanging in Vicksburg - about 80 kilometers away. Based on what is known so far, little points to outside involvement in Zukatis’s case; the circumstances of his death point rather to a tragic suicide. Thus, the two cases differ significantly, both in the social environment of the victims and in the traces left behind. Nevertheless, the temporal coincidence of two men found hanging on the same day in Mississippi causes unrest, because it evokes historical memories and puts the credibility of the authorities to a hard test. It is therefore important to clearly differentiate: While in the case of Cory Zukatis outside involvement can almost certainly be ruled out at this point, in the case of Trey Reed there remain serious doubts and open questions that must be fully clarified. On social media the two cases were immediately conflated. Suddenly both victims were said to be Black, because the photo of another young man - Galvin (“Gavin”) Fortenberry, 17 years old, from Jefferson Davis County - was falsely circulated and placed in the context. Fortenberry was fatally shot on August 17, 2025, near a dragstrip event in Lucas; eight people have since been charged in connection with his death. For his family it was of course another shock to see the image of their murdered son circulating online again only weeks after the tragedy, now in a completely different context and without any connection to the case of Trey Reed. Such mix-ups and uncontrolled uses of images distort the facts, give conspiracy theories a boost, and deepen uncertainty instead of contributing to sober clarification.

To be continued .....