Autopsy finds hanged Mississippi student died by suicide, police say
CLEVELAND, Miss. — An autopsy by the office of Mississippi’s state medical examiner concluded that a Black student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University died by suicide, police said Thursday.
The police department in Cleveland, where the campus is located, announced the findings in a news release. It said the autopsy results were consistent with a preliminary examination of the body by the Bolivar County coroner, which found no evidence of foul play.
The 21-year-old student’s death, discovered early Monday, immediately ignited strong emotions in a Southern state with a history of racist violence.
Even before the autopsy results were announced, the student’s family and their lawyers had called for an independent autopsy and implored police to show them any security camera recordings and other video gathered as evidence. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has said he will lead an independent investigation.
Crump’s office did not immediately return an email message seeking comment Thursday.
Cleveland police released no details of the autopsy’s findings other than to say the cause of death was hanging and the manner of death had been ruled a suicide. It said results of toxicology tests are still pending and could take weeks.
The statement said police are still investigating the student’s death and that evidentiary files in the case are being shared with the FBI and federal prosecutors.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, had previously called on the FBI to investigate.
Six-man football is more than touchdowns and wins in Texas: ‘It’s like an identity’
In the state's rural pockets, schools with fewer than 105 students can opt to play six-man football, a version of the game that takes fewer players and has its own special set of rules.
House to vote on stopgap funding bill, but health care fight threatens a shutdown
House Republicans are pushing a bill funding government agencies through November 21, but Democrats say without a plan to renew expiring health care subsidies they will oppose it.
Fat Bear Week is here early, and the bears are fat and playful
The famous bears of Alaska's Katmai National Park are enjoying an abundance of salmon, and even some playtime, as they pack on pounds to prepare for the winter.
A judge ordered Google to share its search data. What does that mean for user privacy?
The ruling in the Google antitrust trial has led to a host of hard-to-answer questions about the future of Google's search data, which the tech giant must now share with competitors. What does that mean for users' data privacy?
Legal experts say pulling Jimmy Kimmel from air may amount to illegal ‘jawboning’
Free speech scholars say ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show indefinitely represents "jawboning," when government officials pressure private companies to suppress speech.
Kimmel’s suspension for Kirk comments sparks furor over free speech and censorship
After Jimmy Kimmel's show was suspended "indefinitely" for comments he made following Charlie Kirk's death, questions about free speech and just what is government censorship reach heightened levels.
