September 16, 2025
The police chief and coroner’s office claim there was no foul play involved in the hanging, though a proper autopsy has yet to be conducted.
On September 15, Demartravian “Trey” Reed, a 21-year-old student, was found hanging from a tree at Delta State University.
Trey was found hanging at approximately 7 a.m., near the university’s pickleball court at the center of the University’s campus. Initially, law enforcement claimed there was no foul play involved in the death of the Mississippi native. However, the announcement of “no foul play” comes without evidence.
Local law enforcement has not yet presented information on the scene nor an autopsy report, as Reed was found only one day ago at the time of publication. Delta University’s Police Chief Mike Peeler slightly amended that assertion. In a press conference, Reed did not suffer any visible broken bones, lacerations or contusions that would suggest he was assaulted before the hanging.
“We do know that again, a young male student was actually a student here… was found, his body was discovered hanging from a tree. But pending an investigation, further investigation also, from the medical examiner’s office. We won’t have more information until that part has been done,” said Peeler during a press conference.
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The Bolivar County Coroner’s office echoed Peeler’s information in a statement to the press.
“At 7:32 a.m., the Bolivar County Coroner’s office was notified by the Cleveland Police Department regarding an unresponsive individual on the campus of Delta State University. At 8:08 a.m., representatives from the coroner’s office arrived on the scene and observed an unresponsive subject hanging from a tree,” the statement reads. “At this current time, we are conducting a thorough death investigation. Based on the preliminary examination, we can confirm that the deceased did not suffer any lacerations, contusions, compound fractures, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest the individual was physically attacked before his death.”
Delta University President Dan Ennis said he’s reached out to Reed’s family and expressed his sadness for the entire Delta community.
“Our community is deeply saddened by this loss,” Ennis said in a statement. “I have spoken to Trey’s family and expressed our heartbreak.”
A young man on TikTok, @yungtriple3, is sounding the alarm and suggesting foul play. The young man identified himself as Reed’s cousin and urged his followers to spread the story to enhance visibility.
@yungtriple3 I will be reporting on this #fyp#mississippi #deltastateuniversity #treyreed #justicefortrey ♬ original sound – YungTriple3
@yungtriple3 said: “Please do your research on this. Do not let them sweep this under the rug. Enough is enough.”
Peeler stressed that the University is under no current threat and is safe to continue normal operations as of Sep. 16.
“I just want to confirm, this is a safe campus. Delta State University is a beautiful place to be. It’s just unfortunate this loss that comes heavily to our campus,” Peeler said.
Delta University is celebrating its centennial in the Mississippi community. As a result of Reed’s death, all centennial events were canceled Sept. 15.
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