When the news broke about a black man hung from tree 2025 incidents, the internet basically caught fire. It wasn’t just one story; it was a string of them that felt like a glitch in the timeline, pulling us back to a century we thought we’d left behind. Honestly, it’s gut-wrenching. You’ve got families in Mississippi, New York, and Wisconsin all asking the same terrifying question: Was this a tragedy of mental health, or something much more sinister?
The problem is, the official reports and the community whispers are miles apart.
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The Delta State Incident: Demartravion "Trey" Reed
Take the case of Demartravion “Trey” Reed. He was only 21. A student at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. On September 15, 2025, a staffer found him hanging from a tree near the campus pickleball courts.
Police moved fast. Maybe too fast? Within hours, the narrative was "no foul play." The Bolivar County Coroner, Randolph Seals Jr., stated there were no broken bones or signs of a struggle. But Trey’s family isn’t buying it. His mother, Sophia, and their attorney, Ben Crump, have been vocal. They point to the location—a public campus—and Trey’s "joyful spirit" just days before.
Mississippi has a heavy shadow. The site is just 30 miles from where Emmett Till was murdered. You can’t just ignore that context. It’s why people flinch. It's why the word "lynching" started trending before the autopsy was even dry.
Albany and the Case of Earl Smith
It didn't stop in the South. Up in Albany, New York, 58-year-old Earl D. Smith was found on Westerlo Street in June 2025. Again, the body was in a tree. Again, the police ruled it a suicide almost immediately.
His niece went to TikTok. She claimed her uncle was a "happy soul" and had just been baptized. She asked why the police wouldn't release camera footage from the area. When authorities go quiet, the community fills the silence with suspicion. It’s a pattern we keep seeing: a body found in a public space, a quick "suicide" ruling, and a family left holding a mountain of unanswered questions.
Torrance "Tory" Medley: The Wisconsin Mystery
Then there’s Torrance “Tory” Medley. November 13, 2025. Brookfield, Wisconsin. He was found at a golf course. His sister, Shena, has been relentless on social media. She’s demanding transparency from the Brookfield Police Department.
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The NAACP has stepped in here too. They’re not necessarily saying it wasn't suicide, but they are saying the investigation felt rushed. It’s about the "i’s" being dotted and the "t’s" being crossed. When a Black man is found in a tree, the historical weight of that image requires more than a cursory glance from local cops.
Why the Suicide Ruling is So Contentious
There’s a deep-seated psychological and historical barrier here. For many in the Black community, hanging is viewed as a "white man's tool" of execution, not a choice one makes for themselves.
- Historical Trauma: Between 1882 and 1968, thousands of Black people were lynched in America. The tree is a symbol of terror.
- The "Facade" Argument: Police often cite that "happy" people can still struggle with deep depression. It's true. But families argue that the method is what doesn't fit the person's life or culture.
- Lack of Evidence: In several 2025 cases, including Mario Kaiser Jr. in North Carolina, families claim autopsies were either skipped or handled poorly.
Honestly, the mistrust is earned. Look at the FBI's own stats—hate crimes are up. In 2024, there were over 11,000 reported incidents. When 2025 rolled around with these specific, high-profile hanging deaths, people didn't see isolated incidents. They saw a trend.
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What the Experts Are Saying
Civil rights leaders like Bishop William Barber II have been vocal about the "South's history" bleeding into the present. They argue that labeling these deaths as suicides "sweeps them under the rug."
On the flip side, some law enforcement officials, like Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, call the rush to label these as lynchings a "gross misrepresentation." He argues that suicide is a quiet tragedy that affects every demographic and that jumping to "lynching" without proof hurts the investigation.
It’s a deadlock.
How to Stay Informed and Act
If you're following these cases or worried about the lack of transparency, there are actual steps being taken by advocacy groups.
- Demand Independent Autopsies: Families are increasingly bypassng state examiners and hiring private ones (often with the help of the Justice for Trey Reed foundation or similar groups).
- FOIA Requests: Local activists are filing Freedom of Information Act requests for body cam and surveillance footage that police are often hesitant to release.
- Community Oversight: Organizations like the NAACP and the New Black Panther Party are conducting their own "people's investigations" to interview witnesses who might be scared to talk to the police.
The year 2025 has been a wake-up call. Whether these deaths are truly a spike in tragic suicides or a terrifying resurgence of racial violence, the one thing everyone agrees on is that the truth shouldn't be hidden behind a "preliminary investigation" tag.
To help push for transparency in these cases, you can support organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which provide resources for families fighting for a full investigation into suspicious deaths. Keeping the names of Trey Reed, Earl Smith, and Tory Medley in the public eye is the only way to ensure these files don't just gather dust.