On the morning of September 15, 2025, the Delta State University community in Cleveland, Mississippi, was rocked by the discovery of 21-year-old De’Martravion “Trey” Reed’s body hanging from a tree near the campus pickleball courts. Reed, a Black student who had only been enrolled at Delta State for a month, was found by police in a scene that immediately drew widespread concern and speculation, both locally and across the nation.
According to the Cleveland Police Department and as reported by NBC News, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be hanging, with the manner of death ruled as suicide. These findings were consistent with the initial investigation, and authorities emphasized there was no evidence of foul play or physical assault prior to Reed’s death. However, as of September 19, toxicology test results remained pending and were expected to take several weeks.
Despite the official ruling, Reed’s death quickly became the focus of intense scrutiny and emotional debate, given Mississippi’s long and painful history of racial violence. As NPR noted, the state has recorded more than 650 lynchings—mostly of Black men—throughout its history. This legacy, still fresh in the collective memory of many Mississippians, fueled online speculation and led prominent organizations, including the NAACP, to label Reed’s death a lynching on social media. The timing of Reed’s death, coinciding with the unrelated hanging of a white homeless man in Vicksburg, 100 miles away, only heightened public anxiety and calls for answers.
Delta State University President Dan Ennis acknowledged the profound impact of Reed’s death during a press conference, stating, “We recognize that this is not only about facts. It’s about emotions, and it’s about feelings, and the way this loss and how it was discovered affects people’s lives.” He added, “We give [the family] our love and support, and we know that we can never fully heal this wound. None of us will fully heal, but we have to go on, and so we’re going on on this campus as best we can.”
Law enforcement officials worked to dispel rumors that Reed’s legs were broken and reassured the campus community of their safety. University police Chief Michael Peeler affirmed, “Due to the support of the state and local law enforcement and the increased law enforcement presence here at Delta State, there are currently no active threats to the campus.”
Still, the Reed family and their advocates remained unsatisfied with the information provided. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, retained by the family, announced that an independent autopsy would be commissioned, funded by Colin Kaepernick’s "Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative." Crump explained, “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.” He further insisted, “Trey’s family deserves answers they can trust. We cannot accept rushed conclusions when the stakes are this high.” The family’s attorney, Vanessa Jones, also criticized the university for a lack of transparency, demanding the release of all available security footage. “From the moment he left his dorm room or entered the campus, there should be surveillance of all of his actions, and that’s what we want. Bring the surveillance, bring the cameras, so that we’ll know exactly what happened to Trey Reed,” Jones stated.
University officials responded by noting that, due to privacy policies, they could only share information with two individuals listed as Reed’s emergency contacts, though the identities of those contacts were not made public. All investigative materials, including surveillance footage and police reports, have been forwarded to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for review. This move was echoed by U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson, who called for a federal investigation and stated, “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.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center joined the call for thorough investigations—not only into Reed’s death but also into the unrelated death in Vicksburg that occurred the same day. Civil rights advocates and student voices alike expressed a desire for transparency, justice, and reassurance. Kolby Horace, a senior at Delta State, told NBC News, “I just want justice. I don’t know what it is, but I want the truth to come out. I just want to know what the real answer is.”
Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell addressed the public’s concerns, acknowledging the state’s troubled past but cautioning against sensationalism. “We haven’t had a documented case of a lynching in decades. So when somebody jumps to that conclusion, I would believe that they’re just trying to get the clickbait and get you to come look at their stuff,” Tindell remarked, as reported by NPR. Local officials reiterated that no evidence of foul play had been found and that multiple law enforcement agencies were assisting in the investigation.
The FBI, for its part, has stated it is prepared to investigate “if, during the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation.” In the meantime, the university community continues to grapple with the loss and the unanswered questions it brings. As the toxicology results and independent autopsy remain pending, Reed’s family, students, and civil rights advocates maintain their calls for a transparent and comprehensive inquiry.
For those affected by Reed’s death or struggling with similar crises, resources are available. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling 988, and additional support can be found at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
As the investigation moves forward, the hope among Reed’s loved ones and the wider Delta State community is that the full truth—whatever it may be—will come to light, offering some measure of peace and resolution to a tragedy that has reopened old wounds and tested the resolve of a campus and a state still reckoning with its history.
