'Trey was found dead in dorm room': New twist in Black student's death in Mississippi, lawyer claims family was told different story

The mysterious 'suicide' of Demartravion “Trey” Reed took a new twist as the Reed family's lawyer claimed that the university authorities told the family a completely different story of how Trey's body was found. At a press event at Living Faith Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ in Grenada late Tuesday afternoon, Vanessa J Jones of the Jones Law Firm, who is representing the Reed family, said that the family was told that Trey was found dead in his dorm room, Mississippi Free Press reported.

“The Grenada County Sheriff’s Department arrived at Trey’s family’s home … at approximately 9:15, and informed the family that Trey was found dead in his dorm room, in his bed,” Jones said. Then they got to know from media that Trey was found hanging from a tree in the center of the campus.

“The family does not know exactly what happened on September the 15th of 2025,” she said. “We are seeking answers from Delta State University. We’re seeking answers from the coroner’s office.”

Delta State University, in its media statement, claimed that a staff member discovered Reed's body hanging from a tree at 7.05 am Monday. Social media users started demanding justice for Trey claiming that this could not be a suicide. Rumors circulated that his bones were broken and that he was lynched to death.

The authorities dismissed the speculations and said there was no foul play in the preliminary investigation. Delta State University Police Chief Mike Peeler said in a press conference that no foul play was currently suspected. Two officials from the Bolivar County Coroner's Office said there were no broken bones or any other sign of attack that might have taken place before his hanging.

Vanessa Jones claimed that the authorities were not prompt to inform the Reed family about the tragedy and the media knew about Trey's death before the family did.

The family was getting all of their information through news, she said. “ If this young man was on the campus of Delta State University with all these cameras and all this modern technology, from the moment he left his dorm room or entered the campus, there should be surveillance of all his actions,” Jones said. “That’s what we want. Bring the surveillance, bring the cameras so that we’ll know exactly what happened.”

'We are not here to point fingers'

Jones did not fuel the rumors and said they don't want to imply anything; they just want answers. “We’re not here to point fingers—yet. But we will have answers. The possible constitutional violations of releasing Trey’s name to the media immediately after it happened—we’ll get to that. But for now, the family is asking for answers.”