Cleveland police update Delta State student death investigation

Cleveland police said the FBI is now heading the investigation into the death of Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed after the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the case a suicide. The update came after several days of changing public messages in Cleveland, where the 21-year-old was found on campus and the death immediately raised questions about safety and transparency.

Reed was discovered about 7:05 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, hanging from a tree near the pickleball courts on Delta State’s campus. The discovery prompted Delta State to cancel classes, and university and law-enforcement officials began coordinating the response as students, parents and faculty tried to understand what had happened in the middle of the campus.

By Wednesday, Sept. 17, Delta State University police Chief Michael L. Peeler said investigators had video evidence and did not see signs of foul play. The next day, the state medical examiner’s autopsy concluded that Reed died by suicide. Cleveland police then said the FBI was taking over the investigation, while final toxicology results were still pending and could take up to four weeks.

That sequence matters in a college town like Cleveland because the case is not just a private family tragedy. Delta State is woven into daily life here, and a death on campus affects dorms, classrooms, athletics and the confidence parents place in the university’s ability to keep students safe and communicate quickly when something goes wrong. The campus closure after Reed’s death showed how fast one incident can disrupt normal life.

The remaining unanswered questions center on the full timeline and the evidence review still underway. Officials have said investigators have video, but they have not publicly laid out what the footage shows. With the FBI now involved and the toxicology work still open, campus families are waiting for a fuller explanation before the case can be considered complete.