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An independent autopsy is currently underway for a Mississippi student found hanging from a tree at his college in September.
On September 15, Demartravion Reed, a 21-year-old student at Delta State University, was discovered hanging from a tree on campus. While Cleveland police classified Reed’s death as a suicide by hanging shortly after, his family sought an independent autopsy. This examination was funded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, according to a report by Mississippi Today.
The initial post-mortem conducted by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office and the Bolivar County Coroner’s Office indicated no signs of foul play, as they found no injuries on Reed that suggested otherwise. While a toxicology report was finalized on September 26, Mississippi Today noted that the findings have not been publicly disclosed.
Reed’s family previously expressed frustration, claiming they were informed of his death through the media rather than directly by the authorities. Additionally, their attorney stated that officers from Grenada County inaccurately informed the family that Reed was discovered deceased in his dorm room bed.
Jeremy Marquell Bridges, an activist based in Alabama, is in touch with Reed’s family and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing them. Bridges mentioned to Mississippi Today that Crump is in the process of developing a reenactment as part of the independent investigation into Reed’s death.
According to Bridges, the independent investigation uncovered evidence that Reed suffered injuries from a recent attack by white male students. Mississippi Today reported that Bridges did not provide specific evidence of the attack, which was not mentioned in the official autopsy.
Bridges not only claimed that the belt buckle was missing from the belt Reed was hanged by, but he also said Reed had defended a Black female student who was being harassed by white classmates.
Bridges also said that the state crime lab was late to send Reed’s organs to Dr. Matthias Okoye, the pathologist conducting the independent autopsy. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin told Mississippi Today that Reed’s organs were sent to the funeral home on October 17. Martin did not address Bridges’ allegations about the organs being sent late to Okoye.
Along with Bridges, one of Reed’s relatives told Mississippi Today that the independent autopsy had been expected earlier this month.
On October 18, Reed’s mother and the New Black Panthers Party protested at Delta State University. There, they claimed Reed suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head — which was not disclosed in the two official reports.
According to Mississippi Today, college officials said security footage cannot be released as it is still being used by law enforcement amid their active investigation.
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