To look and not see. To listen and not hear. This is how Claudia Lacy of Bladenboro, North Carolina, describes her life since the morning of August 29th. The morning her son, Lennon, an African American high school student who had turned 17 less than two weeks before, was allegedly found hanging from a children’s swing set in a predominantly white trailer park a half mile from his home.
Claudia’s first words to police when they showed up on that terrible day were “they have killed my son” – but she must have said them very quietly because local and state authorities declared Lennon’s death a suicide less than eight hours after his body had reportedly been discovered.
According to those authorities, 17 year old African American Lennon Lacy decided, in the dead of the night, to walk to a trailer park inhabited by people who boldly flaunted Confederate flag tattoos and “N-----s Keep Out” signs to hang himself because he had become clinically depressed, suicidally depressed, over the passing of his more than 70 year old great uncle the week before.
This was determined despite numerous red flags signaling that something sinister had possibly occurred. Red flags including shoes on Lennon’s feet that were two sizes too small and missing laces. Red flags including the implausibility of 5.9 foot Lennon being able to act alone in hanging himself from a swing set crossbeam 7.5 feet high given that there were no swings on the set and no crate, stool or other item at the scene for him to have stood on, applied the noose and then kicked away. Red flags including Lennon dating a white woman almost twice his age, an interracial relationship that more than one person had expressed displeasure with.
To say the least, the conduct of investigators at the scene left much to be desired.
• Lennon’s hands were not bagged to protect any possible evidence.
• No photographs of the scene were taken.
• Different agencies on site argued over evidence being taken and the need for an autopsy.
• Crucial evidence, namely the shoes found on Lennon’s feet, were removed from the body bag sometime between when the body was placed inside and when it was delivered to the State Medical Examiner.
Beyond this, I have learned that investigators never searched Lennon’s room for a suicide note. And the family had to request, in writing, to be able to actually talk to investigating detectives because no effort had been made to reach out to them beyond informing them of Lennon’s death.
Frustrated, a devastated Claudia Lacy reached out to local attorney Allen Rogers for help and Rogers, in turn, contacted District Attorney Jon David for a meeting. During that meeting, Rogers specifically asked if there was a protocol for handling cases like Lennon’s and was told ‘no’. But that is not true. Tomes have been written on how to handle death investigations – particularly death scenes, which are considered far more revealing than autopsies.
For example, according to the Department of Justice publication “Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator”, MINIMUM standards include:
• Securing the scene.
• Photographing the scene.
• Preserving evidence on the body including placing the decedent’s hands and/or
feet in unused paper bags.
• Ensuring a chain of custody.
• Determining pre-terminal history including when, where, how, and by whom
decedent was last known to be alive.
• Documenting social history.
Let’s be very clear here. In rural eastern North Carolina, an African American high school student was found hanging from a swing set in a predominantly white trailer park. Investigators did not photograph the scene. They did not attempt to preserve evidence on the body. They did not ensure a chain of custody. Evidence was removed from the body bag. Statements made by Lennon’s mother were ignored. Lennon’s room was never searched. No attempt was made to document social history. And the case was ruled a suicide within eight hours.
Based on the above, and an inability to get any answers, Lennon’s family reached out to the North Carolina NAACP for help. The NC NAACP, in turn, hired several notable civil rights attorneys, including the legendary Al McSurely, and an independent expert pathologist. It also held a well-attended community meeting and tips from numerous people, white and black, began to roll in.
As has been written about here previously, that independent pathologist subsequently published a deeply concerning report on the inadequacy of the investigation into Lennon’s death. This report and leads generated in the NAACP investigation have since been turned over to the Department of Justice where they under review.
Since first writing diaries about this case almost two weeks ago, I have reached out to numerous sources and learned a great deal. In the coming days and weeks, I will be bringing you a story that should be shocking but sadly isn’t. A story of a possible hate crime aggressively brushed under the carpet by local and state authorities. A story where key witnesses have either died or disappeared. A story of a family grieving over a lost child in a town that resembles Mayberry by day but turns sinister once the sun goes down. A surreal story. A haunting story. A story about a national tragedy that goes far beyond the death of Lennon Lee Lacy.
For more information about this case:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
http://www.dailykos.com/...
To meet Lennon’s family and the town he called home, please watch this recent segment aired by Katie Couric.
http://news.yahoo.com/...
Finally, please mark your calendar. A march for Lennon will be held in Bladenboro on Saturday, December 13. This is a time for you to help make a difference. To support the Lacy family and to show those who wish to make this case disappear that you are watching.