Delta State University student Trey Reed’s death on the Cleveland, Mississippi, campus has drawn national attention and stirred a cascade of rumors on social media since a group of football players found him hanging from a tree on campus in mid-September 2025. The following is a timeline of the known events and facts, with links to relevant stories and documents. We will update it as more information becomes available.
Monday, Sept. 15, 2025
7:05 a.m.
Trey Reed’s Body Found
Delta State University Campus Police are notified after group of DSU football players on a morning run find the body of a young Black man hanging in a tree near the pickleball courts.
Police identify him as 21-year-old Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a freshman who only just started college. Reed’s death immediately sparks rumors of a potential lynching, owing to Mississippi’s history of racist lynching Black men and hanging them in trees.
Sept. 15, 2025
1:30 p.m.
Hanging Death in Vicksburg Sparks Rumors of Connection
Cory Zukatis, a homeless white man, is found hanging in a tree about 100 miles away in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Rumors soon spread online about a connection between the two deaths, including rumors falsely identifying Zukatis as a Black man. Vicksburg Police say there is no connection; Zukatis’ death will later be ruled a suicide.
Sept. 15, 2025
2:00 p.m.
DSU Campus Police Chief: ‘No Evidence of Foul Play’
During an afternoon press conference, DSU Police Chief Mike Peeler says “there is no evidence of foul play” in Trey Reed’s death.
Sept. 15, 2025
Late afternoon
Coroner’s Office Rebuffs Rumors of Broken Limbs
In an interview with the Mississippi Free Press, Bolivar County Deputy Coroner Murray Roark says he “saw no broken limbs” on Reed’s body, despite social media rumors, and that his opinion “is that it was self-done.” He declines to elaborate further.
Later, Bolivar County Coroner Rudolph Seals (pictured) says that “the deceased did not suffer any lacerations, contussions, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault” and that “there is no evidence to suggest the individual was physically attacked before his death.”
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025
Afternoon
Trey Reed’s Family Calls for Independent Autopsy
Before the State of Mississippi completes its autopsy on Trey Reed’s body, Vanessa Jones, a attorney for his family from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, says the family will seek an independent autopsy.
According to her, Reed’s grandparents said the Grenada County Sheriff’s Department initially told the family that he was found dead in his dorm; the officers who delivered news of Reed’s death will dispute that in an interview with the Mississippi Free Press the next day.
Sept. 16, 2025
Late afternoon
Congressman Calls for Federal Investigation
U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, whose district includes Grenada and Bolivar counties, calls for a federal investigation into Trey Reed’s death.
“While the details of this case are still emerging, we cannot ignore Mississippi’s painful history of lynching and racial violence against African Americans,” he says.
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025
Morning
DSU Campus Police Chief: ‘No Evidence of Foul Play’
At a press conference, DSU Chief of Police Mike Peeler says that Trey Reed’s body has been delivered to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner for a full autopsy. He adds that “there are videos” relevant to Reed’s death, but declines to provide specifics, saying only that they are “in the hands of the investigative team.” He says the Cleveland Police Department is now leading the investigation.
Friday, Sept. 19, 2025
Kaepernick Org to Fund Private Autopsy
Ben Crump’s law firm says that Colin Kaepernick’s nonprofit Know Your Rights Camp’s Autopsy Initiative will pay for a second autopsy on Trey Reed’s body.
“Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered a historic wound over many, many years and many, many deaths,” Crump says. “Peace will come only by getting to the truth.
Read more of the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of Trey Reed’s death here.
