September 17, 2025
I want to begin by acknowledging that the manner in how Trey was discovered has stirred many emotions in this community, and many emotions around this state and the nation.
Delta State University President Dan Ennis on the death of 21-year-old student Demartravion “Trey” Reed on campus.
Why It Matters: Reed, a 21-year-old Black student, was found hanging from a tree on the university campus Monday morning. Local law enforcement and the county coroner reported no initial signs of foul play. However, the body of the student has now moved to the custody of the Mississippi state chief medical examiner for a full autopsy; law enforcement says they expect results within the next 24–48 hours. The family has retained prominent attorney Ben Crump, who commented, “We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain. I stand with this family, and I will lead a team of civil rights leaders and organizations in pursuing transparency and answers.”
- Delta State police confirmed “there is video” and that the investigation remains ongoing (Delta State Police Chief Michael Peeler).
More on the significance of the place and location of this incident:
“Located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta near the Arkansas state line, Delta State had a fall 2024 enrollment of more than 2,600 students, 42% of them Black.
“Numerous social media posts about the case evoked a darker period in U.S. history when killings of Black people, almost exclusively at the hands of white male vigilantes, inflicted racial terror in Mississippi and other parts of the Deep South.
“The Delta State campus in Cleveland is located only about 30 miles from a site closely associated with the infamous lynching of Emmett Till. A sign at the Tallahatchie River landing near Glendora commemorates the discovery 70 years ago of Till’s mutilated body in the water.” (AP)
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by Jenna Lee, Founder of SmartHER News
