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CLEVELAND, Miss.— At Delta State University on Wednesday, there were few signs of the tragedy that befell the campus this week and disrupted the beginning of a new school year.
“Welcome back” banners from the Chamber of Commerce and campaign signs for students running for homecoming court were staked in the grass.
Students had been back on campus just shy of a month when the body of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a 21-year-old Black student, was found hanging from a tree on campus Monday.
Reed’s death has ignited calls for justice and online speculation that he was the victim of a lynching, even though authorities have said there was no evidence of foul play.
Families of other Black men who have been found hanging in Mississippi and were determined to have died by suicide are also questioning their official causes of death.
They say they believe their loved ones were victims of lynchings in a state with a history of racially motivated violence, including the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till.
Reed’s family has not publicly commented on his death, except through attorneys.
Meara Brown, who was on campus Wednesday to visit her younger sister, who recently transferred to Delta State, said she understands the feelings people are having about Reed’s death.
“Just given the historical significance of trees, Black men and ropes — there’s just something about it to me that isn’t right,” she said.
Bolivar County Coroner Randolph Seals Jr. said in a statement Wednesday that his office is conducting a “thorough” death investigation.
He echoed other officials’ comments and said a preliminary examination showed no evidence that Reed was physically attacked. More details will be released after the Mississippi State Crime Lab conducts an autopsy, Seals said.
At the campus, Kolby Horace, 21, a senior studying sports management, said he did not know what to believe.
“I just want justice. I don’t know what it is, but I want the truth to come out,” he said. “I just want to know what the real answer is.”
Mtume Mathews, 20, and Jy’quon Wallace, 20, the president and vice president, respectively, of the university’s African American Student Council, said they had discussed organizing a vigil for Reed amid calls by students for more information.
Wallace said he has been thinking about Reed’s family and other students he would see with Reed on campus.
“Everybody’s trying to cope a little differently and trying to get through it,” Wallace said. “We’re also trying to move in a way where we acknowledge the fact that he was a student. That he was another one of us.”
Wallace said he understood that school leaders might be limited in what information they can release but acknowledged that some classmates are frustrated.
“It’s just that we really want answers,” Mathews added. “That’s why a lot of people are fearful in this moment.”
Brown recalled checking her younger sister’s location Monday night and feeling at peace.
“My last thought before going to sleep was college is the one place where you’re supposed to feel like your children are safe,” she said. “And then I woke up to the news.”
Brown, who is from the Mississippi Delta, said cooperating with Reed’s family and releasing the autopsy results to “confirm or deny the rumors” are steps she thinks officials should take.
Ultimately, she said, she suspects people may not feel settled with authorities’ findings until they hear from the family.
“Because that’s the only thing that’s going to supersede what the suspicions are now,” she said.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday that Reed’s family had retained him and that “his family and the campus community deserve a full, independent investigation to uncover the truth about what happened.”
He did not identify the family members who hired him.
“Trey was a young man full of promise and warmth, deeply loved and respected by all who knew him,” Crump said on social media. “We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain.”
Attorney Vanessa Jones said at a news conference Tuesday that she had also been retained by Reed’s family. It was unclear whether she represented the same family members who retained Crump as their attorney.
Jones said she would launch an independent investigation into Reed’s death and demanded transparency from officials.
“The family does not know exactly what happened on Sept. 15, 2025,” she said. “We are seeking answers.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
Bracey Harris reported from Cleveland, Mississippi, and Daniella Silva from New York City.
Bracey Harris is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Jackson, Mississippi.
Daniella Silva is a national reporter for NBC News, focusing on immigration and education.
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