Delta State officials counter rumors as investigation continues into Black student found hanging 

Delta State University and law enforcement officials held a press conference Wednesday to provide an update on the status of an investigation into a Black student found hanging from a tree on campus while using the opportunity to address rumors circulating online about the incident.

The body of 21-year-old Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a native of Grenada, Mississippi, was discovered by a university staffer early Monday morning. Within the following 48 hours, many had gone to social media to claim it was a modern-day lynching in a state with a history of racist violence.

Police immediately said otherwise, vouching during a Monday afternoon press conference that no foul play is suspected. A coroner’s preliminary examination found Reed did not have any broken bones of “injuries consistent with