The morning of September 15, 2025, started like any other Monday at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Then, around 7:05 a.m., everything changed. A staff member walking near the campus pickleball courts spotted something that would eventually ignite a firestorm of grief and skepticism across the country.
It was the body of a young Black man.
He was hanging from a tree.
The student was later identified as 21-year-old Demartravion "Trey" Reed, a junior from Grenada, Mississippi. He had only been on campus for about a month. Within hours, the news didn't just leak; it erupted. You've probably seen the TikToks or the Instagram posts—the ones claiming he had broken limbs or that his death was a modern-day lynching. Honestly, in a state like Mississippi, where the shadow of Emmett Till (who was killed only 30 miles away) still looms large, those fears aren't just "rumors." They’re part of a deeply rooted cultural memory.
The Delta State University Student Found Hanging: Official Findings vs. Public Doubt
By Thursday of that same week, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office released its autopsy report. The verdict was swift and, for many, incredibly hard to swallow: the cause of death was hanging, and the manner of death was ruled a suicide. Bolivar County Coroner Randolph Seals Jr. backed this up, stating there were no signs of a struggle. No broken legs. No lacerations. Basically, the official line was that Trey Reed had taken his own life.
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But the family wasn’t buying it. Neither was a large chunk of the student body.
"I just thought it was sad that he took his own life, but I still want to wait till we get all that information," said a student named JJ in an interview with the Delta Democrat-Times. That's the vibe on campus—a mix of numbness and a "wait-and-see" attitude that hasn't really gone away.
Ben Crump and the Independent Investigation
Whenever a high-profile case involving a Black man dies under suspicious circumstances in the South, Ben Crump usually isn't far behind. The family hired him almost immediately. Crump has been vocal about demanding every second of campus surveillance footage. He’s pushing for a narrative that goes beyond the "quick" ruling of the local police.
There was even talk of a second, independent autopsy. Reports from activists, including the Orange County Justice Initiative, claimed this second exam showed "blunt force trauma" to the back of Reed's head. However—and this is a big "however"—that report hasn't been officially released to the public. We’re in this weird limbo where one side says "suicide" and the other side hints at "murder," but the hard evidence for the latter remains behind closed doors.
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Why This Case Hit Different
Mississippi has a haunting history. Since the year 2000, at least eight other Black men have been found hanging from trees in the state. Every single one was ruled a suicide. When you see a pattern like that, "coincidence" starts to feel like a heavy word.
Delta State is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), though its Black student population is significant—around 42%. For students of color, seeing a peer hanging in the middle of campus isn't just a tragedy; it’s a terrifying message, whether intended or not. The university did cancel classes and its centennial celebrations, which was a start, but for many, it felt like the school was more worried about its image than the safety of its students.
Real Talk on the "Broken Bones" Rumors
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Social media was flooded with claims that Trey's arms and legs were snapped. Deputy Coroner Murray Roark was pretty blunt about this. He told reporters he saw no broken limbs. While it's easy to dismiss officials in these cases, the lack of photos or medical evidence to support the "broken bones" theory has made that specific claim harder to verify.
That doesn't mean there wasn't foul play. It just means the internet might have jumped the gun on the specific details of the injuries.
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What’s Happening Now?
The investigation technically remains open as toxicology reports usually take a month or two to finalize. Congressman Bennie Thompson has even called for the FBI to step in. He wants an unbiased, federal look at the case because, frankly, trust in local Mississippi law enforcement isn't exactly at an all-time high.
The campus is "back to normal" in the sense that classes are running, but the atmosphere has shifted. There’s a heaviness. You can’t just walk past a tree where a classmate was found and not feel something.
How to Support the Movement for Transparency
If you're looking for ways to actually do something rather than just scroll through the latest updates, here’s where the focus is right now:
- Demand Footage Release: Advocacy groups are asking the public to put pressure on Delta State University to release all available campus security footage from the night of September 14 and the morning of September 15.
- Support Mental Health for Black Students: This incident has been incredibly triggering. Organizations like The Trevor Project or local campus groups are providing specific resources for Black students dealing with the "racialized" nature of this trauma.
- Follow Credible Sources: Avoid the "verified" accounts on X (formerly Twitter) that post unsourced photos. Stick to local outlets like the Mississippi Free Press or Mississippi Today, who have reporters on the ground in Cleveland.
- Watch the Independent Autopsy: Keep an eye out for Ben Crump’s office to formally release the findings of the second autopsy. That will be the definitive turning point in whether this remains a closed suicide case or turns into a criminal investigation.
Trey Reed was described as a "quiet light" by his family. Whether he died by his own hand or by someone else's, the fact remains that a 21-year-old with his whole life ahead of him is gone. The truth usually comes out eventually; it just takes a lot of people refusing to let the story die.