CLEVELAND, Miss. (AP) — An autopsy by the office of Mississippi’s state medical examiner concluded that a Black student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University died by suicide, police said Thursday.

The police department in Cleveland, where the campus is located, announced the findings in a news release. It said the autopsy results were consistent with a preliminary examination of the body by the Bolivar County coroner, which found no evidence of foul play.

The 21-year-old student’s death, discovered early Monday, immediately ignited strong emotions in a Southern state with a history of racist violence.

Even before the autopsy results were announced, the student’s family and their lawyers had called for an independent autopsy and implored police to show them any security c

See Full Page