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By James Bickerton and Shane Croucher
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An autopsy of Demartravion "Trey" Reed by Mississippi's state medical examiner concluded that his death was a suicide, the police department in Cleveland said.
Reed, a 21-year-old Black student, was found hanging from a tree on Monday at the Delta State University campus.
Newsweek contacted Ben Crump, the Reed family's attorney, for comment on Friday via email outside of regular office hours.
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Why It Matters
While officials had initially said there was no evidence of foul play, the case drew widespread attention, skepticism and calls for transparency. It evoked Mississippi's history of Jim Crow-era racist violence. The university campus in Cleveland is about 30 miles from a site associated with the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till.
What To Know
On Thursday, the Cleveland Police Department released a statement saying an autopsy performed on Reed's body at the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office was "consistent with the initial investigation, determining the cause of death to be hanging and the manner of death as suicide."
The department said it is still waiting for final toxicology results which are expected in the next two to four weeks. It added all files relating to the case had been provided to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for further review.
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A preliminary examination conducted by Bolivar County Coroner Randoph Seals Jr. had earlier concluded Reed "did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault."
On Wednesday at a press conference at Delta State University, authorities said there was video footage showing the events leading up to Reed's death, which took place on Sunday.
Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Reed family, has requested "all video footage" related to Trey Reed's death be provided to his family. He said: "By demanding the family be allowed to view any video and commissioning an independent autopsy, we are taking every step to uncover the truth about what happened to Trey."
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On Friday Crump told Newsweek the Colin Kaepernick "Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative" had agreed to pay for a second, independent autopsy for Reed.
He said: "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. We thank Colin Kaepernick for supporting this grieving family and the cause of justice and truth."
What People Are Saying
In a video posted on Facebook, **Delta State University President Dan Ennis said: "**What we want to communicate to the community is that we know that as a university, we're given a trust. People come here to learn. They come here to be safe, and they come here to thrive, and one of our students is gone, and we will never forget that. We continue to meet with and be in contact with Trey's family. We give them our love and support and we know that we can never fully heal this wound.
"We are continuing to cooperate with investigators. We continue to make sure that all the information necessary is given to authorities. And we continue to hope for answers."
In a post on Instagram, the NAACP said: "While initial reports offered no evidence of 'foul play', you'd have to excuse our skepticism amid growing racially motivated violence targeted at our communities across this nation. So while we await more formal autopsy reports and information, we offer this piece of history with a level of certainty: Our people have not historically hung ourselves from trees."
What Happens Next
The final toxicology results from Reed's body are expected in the next two to four weeks. The Reed family may still attempt to commission their own independent autopsy.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or be in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
This article uses reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 9/20/25, 3:14 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Reed family attorney Ben Crump.
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