Tuesday, September 16, 2025 I posted: “His body was found in a tree Monday, on a Mississippi college campus.”
The diary was to inform this community about the death of 21-year-old Grenadian Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a freshman at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. His body was found hanging from a tree in the center of the campus.
The county coroner and state examiner have ruled the death a suicide, and Cleveland, MS police have said no foul play is suspected.
That didn’t sit right for his family, and many on the interwebs, here on DK, or IRL
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Trey Reed deserved to grow old, to be with his family, & pursuing his dreams.
Instead, he was found hanging from a tree at Delta State University — a predominantly white institution in MS.
We'll never have true justice for Trey—that would mean he would still be with us—but there must be answers.
— Ayanna Pressley (@ayannapressley.bsky.social) 2025-09-17T00:20:47.306Z
Trey Reed’s family alleges that the bones in his arms and legs have been broken and he has bruises.
Many here on Dailykos said there should be a second, independent, autopsy. Some volunteering to help pay for it if a Go Fund Me or other such account were created. One person even asked if there was something like “the Innocence Project” for something like this.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced Friday that that the Colin Kaepernick “Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative” will cover the cost of a second independent autopsy for deceased Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed. — USA Today
Know Your Rights Camp was founded by Colin Kaepernick and his wife, Nessa Diab.
Their mission:
Our mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.
And part of that is free autopsy services for families who have had loved ones die in police custody.
Free Autopsy Services:
The objective of the Autopsy Initiative (“Initiative”) is to provide a second autopsy free-of-charge for families who have lost their loved ones due to an in-custody or suspicious death. The services offered through the Initiative include the completion of a second autopsy, disclosure of preliminary findings, and issuance of the second autopsy report. — Autopsy Initiative
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This is outside the remit since Trey Reed was not in police custody at the time of his death. But as Yahoo!Sports put it:
Colin Kaepernick Shows True Character After College Student Found Dead On Campus
[snip]
On Friday, it was revealed that an independent autopsy will be performed. Kaepernick will cover the this expense for the Reed family.
"Trey’s death evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered a historic wound over many, many years and many, many deaths. Peace will come only by getting to the truth. We thank Colin Kaepernick for supporting this grieving family and the cause of justice and truth," civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump said. — Yahoo!Sports
