On Wednesday, September 11, the body of a 21-year-old truck driver, Javion Magee, was found next to a tree on Vanco Mill Road. The deceased had a rope tied around his neck raising suspicion that he might have committed suicide by strangulation/hanging or somebody might have killed him and set it up.
According to Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame, his office had been alerted at 10 in the morning about a body sitting at the base of a medium-sized tree outside a business near Henderson. The deputies who responded to the scene identified the driver and later sent his body to a medical examiner to carry out an autopsy.
During a news conference two days later, Sheriff Brame announced that although the cause of death is still unknown, Magee had visited Walmart for a delivery and had purchased a rope while there. He asked people to stop spreading rumors online that Magee had been lynched since there was no evidence to support that claim. He also added that the rope wrapped around the deceased’s neck didn’t have a knot or a noose.
WRAL News reports that a spokesperson for Javion Magee’s family had said that the tragic incident shouldn’t be ruled as suicide but a hate crime. The family is currently working with civil rights attorneys to find out what exactly happened on that day.
A TikTok user, StormiNyte, who claims to be his cousin, posted a video online to say she rejects the statement made by the police and believes that foul play was involved.
She asked viewers to help in supporting her family’s quest for justice by circulating the story. The State Bureau of Investigation has also added its resources to unravel the case. You can reach the sheriff’s office at 252-738-2200 if you have any information to share.
Javion Magee’s body is still at the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Vance County Sheriff has promised to release the autopsy report to the family as soon as it is ready.
