Timeline: Trey Reed’s Hanging Death at Delta State University

Trey Reed’s Body Found

Delta State University Campus Police are notified after a 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 had 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.

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.

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, contusions, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault” and that “there is no evidence to suggest the individual was physically attacked before his death.”

Family Retains Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump

Nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump announces that Trey Reed’s family has retained him to work with civil rights organizations to conduct an independent investigation.

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. He says the Cleveland Police Department is now leading the investigation.

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.

Family Receives Some Preliminary Results

Dr. Matthias Okoye shares some preliminary findings from his independent autopsy with the family on a Zoom call, citing an injury on Reed’s neck; he says he cannot determine the cause of it without examining the belt Reed was found hanging with, the family will later tell the Mississippi Free Press. He says he is not yet able to make a final determination about the cause and manner of death.

Podcast Spurs New Rumors

After New Black Panther Party Chair Krystal Muhammad shares unverified claims about the second autopsy’s findings on a podcast, Ben Crump’s legal team tells the Clarion-Ledger that the independent autopsy is not final and no details will be released until it is.

Tillman and Reed Families Release Statement

The Tillman and Reed families state publicly for the first time that they have not received an official update about the independent autopsy and that their “legal representation has been silent during a time when we need transparency.”