A Delta State University student said he saw Dematravion “Trey” Reed just hours before his death, which county coroners have officially ruled a suicide, as Reed’s family continues to call for an independent autopsy.

Reed, 21, was found hanging from a tree on the Mississippi campus on Sept. 15.

News of his death drew nationwide attention and triggered widespread speculation that his death might have been a lynching due to growing social and racial tensions across the country, and in light of the state’s history of racial violence against Black Americans.

Authorities ruled out foul play in a preliminary investigation, but many still weren’t convinced by their initial findings, including Reed’s family, who said they were given incorrect information about where the 21-year-old’s body was fo

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