TruthLens Integrity Briefing

Demartravion “Trey” Reed — Delta State University, Mississippi

An Integrity Briefing is a structured case summary that tracks what we know, how we know it, and where the gaps remain. It is designed to help families, students, journalists, and the public separate verified facts from speculation — and to keep pressure on institutions to close those gaps over time. This briefing will evolve as new evidence, documents, or official statements are released.

A. Case Snapshot

This section establishes the basic facts of the case — who, where, when, and the current official status — so readers have a clear anchor before moving into the deeper analysis.

Demartravion “Trey” Reed — Delta State University, Mississippi

• Name: Demartravion “Trey” Reed
• Age: 21
• Race: Black
• Status: Deceased
• Location: Delta State University campus, Cleveland, Mississippi
• Date of death: September 15, 2025

Reed’s body was found hanging from a tree near the campus pickleball courts around 7:00 a.m. by a faculty member, and campus police were notified shortly after.

The Bolivar County coroner and the Mississippi State Medical Examiner both determined the manner of death to be suicide by hanging and reported no signs of physical assault or broken bones.

Reed’s family has rejected the suicide ruling and, with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, has pursued an independent autopsy funded by Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative. As of late October and early November 2025, the results of that independent autopsy had not been made public.

B. Timeline of Verified Events

This section reconstructs the case using only verified, on-the-record moments. It helps readers see what actually happened in sequence — and where the record goes silent.

September 15, 2025 — Discovery and initial response

• Around 7:05–7:32 a.m., Reed is found hanging from a tree near the pickleball courts on central campus. Campus police and Cleveland Police are notified and respond.
• A campus news conference confirms the discovery of a Black male student hanging from a tree; officials say there is no indication of an ongoing threat to campus safety.

September 16–17, 2025 — Preliminary findings and public concern

• Bolivar County Coroner’s preliminary report states Reed had no lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, or injuries consistent with an assault.
• The Mississippi State Medical Examiner conducts an autopsy on September 17 and later classifies the manner of death as suicide by hanging, consistent with the coroner’s findings.
• Local and national coverage notes that Reed had only been on campus about a month and that his death has triggered speculation of a possible lynching, given Mississippi’s history.

September 17–18, 2025 — Family hires attorneys, federal attention

• Reed’s family retains civil rights attorney Ben Crump and local attorney Vanessa Jones, who call for a full investigation and release of campus surveillance footage.
• NAACP leadership and Congressman Bennie Thompson urge federal review. The Cleveland Police Department states that the case will be reviewed by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office once state findings are complete.

Late September 2025 — Independent autopsy and campus unrest

• Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp announces funding for an independent autopsy, working with Crump and Reed’s family.
• Rallies and vigils on campus and in the community call Reed’s death a lynching and demand transparency.
• Reports indicate Reed’s mother and other family members believe his body showed injuries that could not have been self-inflicted, though these claims have not been confirmed in official medical findings.

October 1–24, 2025 — Ongoing speculation, no independent results

• Memorials remain at the tree where Reed’s body was found; Mississippi Today documents ongoing student and community concern as rumors circulate on social media about alleged injuries.
• As of October 24, Mississippi Today reports that the independent autopsy has been completed but its results have not been publicly released, and speculation continues.

November–December 2025 — National context and continuing silence

• The Marshall Project publishes an investigation noting Reed’s case alongside at least eight other Black men found hanging from trees in Mississippi since 2000, all ruled suicides, and reports that the independent autopsy results remain unreleased.
• Mississippi Free Press runs an opinion piece highlighting the lack of transparency, the emotional toll on Black families, and the silence from officials facing repeated questions.

Documented Gaps

• There is no public, detailed account of the full investigative chronology between the initial autopsy (mid-September) and the late-October reporting about the still-unreleased independent autopsy.
• No public documentation shows if or when the FBI or U.S. Attorney have completed any review, or what actions they have taken beyond initial statements of potential involvement.

C. Institution Map

This section maps who holds power in the case — which institutions are involved, what they control, and where responsibility sits. It helps readers see the system, not just the headline.

Delta State University

• Responsible for campus safety, communication with students and staff, and cooperation with law enforcement.
• Confirmed Reed’s death, canceled some events, and offered counseling resources, but has not publicly released detailed information about any internal review of safety protocols or racial climate.

Delta State University Police / Cleveland Police Department

• Managed the immediate scene response and initial investigation.
• Publicly stated early that no foul play was suspected and that the medical examiner found suicide by hanging.
• Acknowledged the existence of surveillance footage from the area and stated it was being reviewed; family attorneys say the family has not been allowed to see that footage.

Bolivar County Coroner / Mississippi State Medical Examiner

• Conducted the initial examination and autopsy.
• Reported no signs of traumatic injury consistent with assault and classified the manner of death as suicide. Toxicology results were pending at the time of some early statements.

FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office

• Identified as agencies that would review the case under federal civil-rights standards after state findings.
• As of the latest public reporting, no detailed federal findings or actions have been announced.

Civil Rights and Advocacy Actors

• Family attorneys: Ben Crump and Vanessa Jones, pressing for a complete investigation, access to surveillance footage, and independent forensic review.
• NAACP and other advocates: Publicly skeptical of suicide findings in the context of Mississippi’s lynching history and the pattern of Black men found hanging in trees with suicide rulings.
• Colin Kaepernick / Know Your Rights Camp: Funding the independent autopsy to provide a second forensic opinion.

D. Language vs. Behavior

Here we compare what institutions say with what they actually do. Misalignment between language and behavior is often the first signal of structural drift or institutional self-protection.

Official Language

• Phrases used early in the investigation include “no foul play suspected,” “no evidence of assault,” and “suicide by hanging.”
• Some officials framed quick conclusions as bringing “closure” and condemned “rumors” circulating online.

Documented Behavior

• Despite the strong early language, authorities requested a review by the FBI and U.S. Attorney, and allowed an independent autopsy to proceed, which signals that questions remained open at the procedural level.
• Surveillance video exists and is under review, but Reed’s family has not been granted access, even as suicide determinations were communicated publicly.
• Officials have not provided a detailed public explanation of the precise forensic criteria used to distinguish suicide from homicide or “undetermined” in this case.

Tension

The combination of fast, categorical language (“suicide,” “no foul play”) with ongoing reviews, withheld video, and an unreleased independent autopsy creates a visible gap between what is said and how the institutions are actually behaving.

E. Drift & Contradictions

This section tracks where the story has shifted over time or where details contradict one another. Those points of drift often reveal where deeper questions need to be asked.

1. Initial family notification vs later facts

• Reporting indicates that some family members were initially told Reed died in his dorm room, before later learning he had been found hanging outside on campus.
• This change in basic location details undermines confidence in early communication and raises questions about internal information handling.

2. Speed of suicide ruling vs ongoing unresolved elements

• The suicide ruling was communicated within days, while toxicology was still pending and the independent autopsy had not yet been conducted, suggesting a confidence level in manner-of-death classification that preceded the full evidence set.
• Weeks later, the independent autopsy remained unreleased, and there is no public explanation of why or when those results will be shared.

3. Condemning “rumors” vs acknowledging public distrust

• Officials have criticized social-media rumors suggesting Reed had injuries inconsistent with suicide, yet no detailed forensic summary has been released to address those specific claims.
• Community and advocacy groups point to a documented pattern of Black men found hanging in Mississippi with suicide rulings, which is a structural context not fully engaged in official statements.

4. Transparency promises vs public record

• Authorities and the university have spoken of cooperation and closure, but publicly available information still lacks:
  • A clear timeline of investigative steps taken.
  • Any release of surveillance footage to the family.
  • Any federal findings, if completed.

These are structural drift indicators: the narrative of certainty outpaces the visible, documented evidence and process.

F. Family & Community Position

This section centers the perspectives of those most directly affected — the family, students, and local community — and records how they describe the loss and the investigation.

Family

• Reed’s family describe him as loving, full of life, and looking forward to his time at Delta State. They recount his presence at a recent community event in Grenada and reject the notion that he would take his own life.
• They question the suicide ruling, citing perceived injuries and inconsistencies in what they were told, and demand access to all available video and a transparent accounting of what happened between Reed’s return to campus and his death.

Attorneys and Advocates

• Ben Crump and Vanessa Jones have emphasized the need for full transparency, independent forensic review, and the release of all campus surveillance footage relevant to the case.
• The NAACP and other advocates explicitly invoke Mississippi’s history of lynching and argue that Black communities have reason to be skeptical of rapid “no foul play” rulings in hanging cases.

Campus & Community

• Students and community members have organized vigils, rallies, and online campaigns, some labeling the death a lynching and calling for federal intervention.
• Opinion writers and local commentators highlight the emotional toll of vague or inconsistent communication from institutions and place the case within a broader pattern of Black deaths that are quickly classified as suicide.

G. Open Procedural Questions

These are concrete, institution-facing questions that families, students, and journalists can ask without making unproven claims. They turn grief and speculation into specific demands for clarity and documentation.

Medical Classification

1. What specific forensic criteria did the coroner and state medical examiner use to classify Reed’s manner of death as suicide rather than undetermined?
2. Were all toxicology results available at the time the suicide ruling was communicated to the public, and if not, were families told that the classification might change?

Evidence Handling and Transparency

3. What surveillance footage exists from the hours before Reed was found (locations, time windows), who controls it, and what are the written policies governing family access?
4. Has all potentially relevant electronic evidence (phone, campus card data, dorm access logs) been secured and reviewed, and if so, by which agencies?
5. What documentation exists of chain-of-custody for physical and digital evidence from the scene through all investigative hands?

Communication

6. Why was the family initially given conflicting information about where Reed died, and what internal review has been done to prevent such miscommunication in future cases?
7. What is the written protocol for updating families when manner-of-death determinations are made, especially in high-profile or racially sensitive cases?

Independent and Federal Review

8. What is the current status of the independent autopsy report funded by the Know Your Rights Camp, and who holds authority over its release to the family and the public?
9. Has the FBI or U.S. Attorney’s Office completed any review of this case? If so, what are the findings; if not, what timeline and standards govern that review?

Pattern Context

10. Given that at least eight other Black men have been found hanging from trees in Mississippi since 2000, all ruled suicides, has any statewide review been conducted to examine patterns in classification, investigation depth, and communication practices across these cases?