Black man found dead against tree with rope around his neck in NC: 'Not a lynching,' sheriff says

HENDERSON, N.C. -- A death investigation in Vance County is sparking questions and rumors online across the country.

Javion Magee, a 21-year-old truck driver from the Chicago area, was found dead in a rural area off Vanco Mill Road on Sept. 11. Investigators said he was not far from his truck, leaning with his back up against a tree and a rope around his neck. Magee was in Henderson making a delivery to the Walmart distribution center.

Magee's family who lives in Chicago is upset and demanding answers. Many of them are even on their way to North Carolina in an attempt to pressure investigators to release more information about what happened.

Friday, Sheriff Curtis R. Brame tells sister station ABC11 in North Carolina they are conducting a death investigation.

Brame told ABC11 there were no signs of foul play in Magee's death. He said Magee went to a nearby Walmart shortly before he died. That is where he is believed to have bought the rope found around his neck.

"I understand there's over 1,000 hits on TikTok (accusing) the sheriff's office of not being transparent, not providing information to the family and that is not true," Sheriff Brame said. "There's been information put out there that there's a lynching in Vance County. There is not a lynching in Vance County. The young man was not dangling from a tree. He was not swinging from a tree. The rope was wrapped around his neck. It was not a noose. There was not a knot in the rope, so therefore, it was not a lynching here in Vance County."

"There's been information put out there that there's a lynching in Vance County. There is not a lynching."

"A lot of this stuff does not pass the smell test and that's a problem. The entire family is completely mortified and they are hurt, they are. They have a lot of questions and they just want to know what happened to their loved one." said family spokesperson Candice Matthews.

Brame told ABC11 there were no signs of foul play in Magee's death. He said Magee went to a nearby Walmart shortly before he died. That is where he is believed to have bought the rope found around his neck.

Khalil Gay who lives in Henderson said this about Magee's death, "I mean, honestly, I think we have to acknowledge that, number one, we do live in the South, and there's a deep history of racism and racist acts. And so people are obviously concerned about that."

Magee's body has been sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death.

Brame said as soon as a preliminary report comes back from that autopsy, he will share it with Magee's family and then make a decision about how to share it with the public.

"We're going down every avenue, every aspect of all the information. We are tracking the company to try and get his GPS reading," Sheriff Brame said.

Brame also said the State Bureau of Investigation is now involved in the case.