Inspecting claims Trey Reed’s 2nd autopsy shows blunt force trauma

• In October 2025, social media posts claimed a second independent autopsy of De’Martravion “Trey” Reed, who was found hanging from a tree on Delta State University’s campus in Cleveland, Mississippi, in September 2025, revealed he had suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head. The posts alleged that this finding contradicted a medical examiner’s official conclusion that Reed died by suicide.
• As of this writing, a report detailing the results of Reed’s second autopsy had not been released to the public, despite claims suggesting otherwise.
• Some of the claims appeared to stem from a report published by The Chicago Crusader, which said the second autopsy revealed Reed had “blunt force trauma to the back of the head,” citing activists working with Reed’s family and a source not authorized to speak publicly. Snopes was unable to independently verify those claims.
• A legal team representing Reed’s family told another news outlet that the conclusive autopsy had not been finalized and no details would be released until it was. Sharon Candy Tillman, who identified herself as Reed’s grandmother, also told Snopes that the second autopsy had “not been released” as of publication.

In October 2025, social media posts claimed a second independent autopsy of De’Martravion “Trey” Reed, who was found hanging from a tree on Delta State University’s campus in Cleveland, Mississippi, the previous month, revealed he had suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head.

The posts alleged that this finding contradicted a medical examiner’s official conclusion that Reed died by suicide. 

The rumor emerged amid online speculation that Reed may have been lynched — claims that did not align with official statements about his death. 

In mid-September 2025, a lawyer representing Reed’s family said they would seek an independent investigation, citing what they described as inconsistencies in the information authorities provided. 

That same month, Ben Crump, one of the attorneys representing Reed’s family, announced that Know Your Rights Camp — a civil-rights organization co-founded and funded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick — planned to pay for an independent autopsy for Reed. He said Reed’s family would “seek the autopsy as soon as Reed’s body is released by the state medical examiner.”

The October social media posts referenced this second autopsy funded by Know Your Rights Camp.

An Instagram post (archived) sharing the claim about Reed’s second autopsy read, in part:

Today, activists and advocates working closely with Reed’s family confirmed that a second, independent autopsy, funded by former NFL quarterback and social justice advocate Colin Kaepernick, revealed blunt force trauma to the back of Reed’s head. These findings potentially conflict with the initial ruling that his death was a suicide.

A Facebook post (archived) also claimed the independent autopsy’s findings “pointed to clear evidence of assault and strangulation occurring before Reed was hung, raising serious doubts about the original conclusion.” (The post was later updated to say that its authors were misled.)

Similar claims circulated elsewhere on Instagram and on X (archived here, here and here). Multiple Snopes readers also emailed us and searched our website to verify the rumor. For example, one reader asked, “Have the results [of the independent autopsy] been released? Some say yes and it showed injury before death. Some say that’s a lie. Which is true?”

Some of the claims appeared to stem from a report (archived) published by The Chicago Crusader, which said the second autopsy revealed Reed had “blunt force trauma to the back of the head,” citing activists working with Reed’s family and a source not authorized to speak publicly.

As of this writing, a report detailing the results of Reed’s second autopsy had not been released to the public. Therefore, Snopes was unable to independently verify any of the claims about its findings. 

A legal team representing Reed’s family told another news outlet that the conclusive autopsy had not been finalized and no details would be released until it was. Sharon Candy Tillman, who identified herself as Reed’s grandmother, also told Snopes that the second autopsy had “not been released” as of this writing.

Report alleges autopsy shows blunt force trauma

The Chicago Crusader initially published a report (archived) on Oct. 2 raising questions about whether Reed’s death was the result of violence rather than suicide, citing concerns from community activists investigating the case.

An update to the article dated Oct. 3 said the second independent autopsy revealed Reed “had blunt force trauma to the back of the head,” citing “activists working with the family of Trey Reed and a verified source not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.” 

The full update read:

[Crusader Update 10/3/25: According to activists working with the family of Trey Reed and a verified source not authorized to publicly speak on the matter, a second, independent autopsy revealed the DSU student had blunt force trauma to the back of the head which may be in direct conflict of the initial suicide ruling. Inquiries to the Crusader or the investigative reporter, requesting a copy of Reed’s autopsy records, should be directed to the appropriate Mississippi authorities or to the law offices of Atty. Ben Crump. Tips can be sent to: sgadlin@chicagocrusader.com. This story is developing.]

We asked Stephanie Gadlin, the reporter who wrote the story, for additional information about her sources but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Lawyers haven’t publicly confirmed autopsy details

Lawyers representing Reed’s family had not publicly confirmed any details about the second autopsy at the time of publication. On Oct. 2, Ben Crump’s team told The Clarion Ledger newspaper (archived) that the conclusive autopsy hadn’t been finalized and no details would be released until it was. Snopes reached out to Crump for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.

We also contacted the “Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative” and await a response. 

Delta State University did not respond to our request for comment by the time of publication.

Reed’s grandmother pushes back on claims

Tillman, who told Snopes via Facebook that she is Reed’s grandmother, publicly disputed claims about the status of his second autopsy.  

In a Facebook post (archived) shared on Oct. 3, Tillman wrote that the second autopsy had “not been completed.” Her full post is below:

In a message to Snopes on Oct. 8, Tillman reiterated that the second autopsy had “not been released” as of publication.

On the same day as Tillman’s initial post, a Facebook user named Alexis Reed, who also appeared to be related to Trey Reed, echoed Tillman’s statement in a separate Facebook post (archived):

The autopsy was inconclusive; meaning not Completed!! Lack of evidences and evidences are still pending. Everyday it’s something with what SOCIAL MEDIA has SAID. Both families are grieving and doesn’t need all of ya’ll sending and repeating what ya’ll heard. I’m sick of it. And I will not make another status about the situation. Blunt force trauma was discussed, but they are still piecing together evidences. 

Activist group walks back claims

The activist group The Other 98% walked back claims that it made about Reed’s second autopsy, saying it had shared inaccurate information online.

The group’s original posts on Facebook and on Instagram (archived here and here) read, in part:

Colin Kaepernick’s independent autopsy of Trey Reed has drawn sharp attention to the troubling inconsistencies in the official police account of Reed’s death. Unlike the police autopsy, which suggested suicide, Kaepernick’s findings pointed to clear evidence of assault and strangulation occurring before Reed was hung, raising serious doubts about the original conclusion.

[…]

The autopsy revealed signs that Reed endured a beating, and medical experts agreed that marks consistent with strangulation were present. These details were overlooked in the initial police report, fueling concerns about a possible cover-up and racial bias in the investigation.

In an update added after the posts were published, the organization said it “wanted to apologize for posting an article claiming that a second autopsy of Trey Reed showed he had a traumatic head injury before he was hanged,” adding that the information was inaccurate.

The full update is as follows:

UPDATE: We want to apologize for posting an article claiming that a second autopsy of Trey Reed showed he had a traumatic head injury before he was hanged. It turns out we were misled, and the information was not accurate. In today’s environment, misinformation can be difficult to detect, and sometimes even careful efforts fall short. We are committed to doing our best to verify facts before sharing them and regret any confusion or distress this may have caused.

We contacted The Other 98% for clarification on why it added the update and await a reply.