Who Is De'Martravion 'Trey' Reed? What to Know About the Deceased Student

The discovery of De'Martravion "Trey" Reed's body hanging from a tree on the campus of Mississippi's Delta State University sent shockwaves through the school and local community in September 2025.

However, the event has prompted rumors about the cause and the manner of the student's death ... many of which dispute the circumstances surrounding the hanging.

We're going to take a look into the student's background and see what's transpired in the wake of his death.

Reed was originally from Grenada, Mississippi, located about 55 miles from Cleveland, MS -- where Delta State University's located.

Reed was 21 at the time of his death, and he'd been studying computer science, according to the The Clarion-Ledger.

Reed's body was discovered on the morning of September 15th by a group of the school's football players, who'd been out on a run.

His corpse was located near the school's pickleball courts, and the university's football coach was called in to identify the body, as authorities initially believed the deceased student was a member of the football squad.

The president of Delta State University's African American Student Council, Jy'Quon Wallace, told the Clarion-Ledger he'd seen Reed the night before his body was found, and described the student as having been visibly agitated.

Wallace claimed he'd come across Reed sitting by himself and asked the student if he was feeling okay, and Reed indicated he didn't want to speak.

Wallace said he later saw Reed had grown even more upset, and claimed he was "making gestures and was acting like he was throwing stuff."

He surmised Reed's actions showed he "may have been crying out for help" without knowing how to express himself.

Authorities initially told Reed's family he'd died by suicide in his dorm room, according to WAPT-TV.

Reed's grandfather said a representative from the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department spoke to him and "didn't even say 'possible' suicide, he said suicide."

The Cleveland Police Department later announced an autopsy had been completed, and the student's cause of death was determined to be hanging, according to People.

Police said the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's autopsy findings were "consistent with the initial investigation." Delta State’s Director of Public Safety, Mike Peele, also said there were no indicators of foul play in the student's death.

Although rumors began to circulate about Reed having suffered additional injuries prior to his death, they were shot down by authorities, according to the New York Post.

Reed's family has disputed the official cause of his death, and they've since retained the services of civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Crump issued a statement about the family's feelings about Reed's death, and said the manner of his death "evoked the collective memory of a community."