Kaepernick funds independent autopsy for Delta State student death

Colin Kaepernick is funding an independent autopsy for Demartravion Trey Reed, a 21-year-old Delta State University student found dead on campus on the morning of Sept. 15, as the young man's family presses for answers amid conflicting accounts and a state ruling that his death was a suicide. Reed's body was discovered hanging from a tree near the university pickleball courts, university officials and law enforcement said, and classes were canceled that day as investigators arrived.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on Sept. 17 and ruled the manner of death a suicide by hanging, officials said. The Bolivar County Coroner's Office, which conducted an initial onsite review, reported no lacerations, contusions, broken bones, or injuries consistent with an assault. Toxicology testing remains pending and could take several weeks, authorities added. Multiple agencies, including the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, have been involved in the inquiry. Cleveland police confirmed investigative records have been forwarded to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for review.

Despite those findings, Reed's family has voiced serious doubts about the...