12 Verified Cases of Hangings Between 2010 - 2025
FEATURED ARTICLES
9/16/20253 min read
12 verified Cases of Hangings Between 2010 - 2025 - 98% Were Black Men.
For more than a century, the image of a Black body hanging from a tree has symbolized America’s darkest tradition of racial terror. Many believe lynching to be a relic of history, but in the last decade, disturbing cases have continued to surface across the United States. From North Carolina to California, from Mississippi to Florida, Black men have been found hanging in public spaces under circumstances that raise painful echoes of the past.
Authorities often rule these deaths as suicides, but families, activists, and communities have frequently demanded deeper investigations, citing the long history of lynching in America and the mistrust between Black communities and law enforcement. What follows is a record of confirmed cases from the last 10–15 years — incidents that show how, even today, the sight of a Black man hanging still sparks grief, outrage, and questions that cannot easily be dismissed.
Verified cases (2010–2025)
Lennon Lacy — 2014, Bladenboro, North Carolina
17-year-old Lennon Lacy was found hanging from a swing set in August 2014. The case drew national attention; the FBI reviewed it and officials concluded there was no evidence to prove homicide. Family and community members disputed that conclusion.
Otis James Byrd — 2015, Port Gibson / Claiborne County, Mississippi
Byrd, 54, was found hanging in woods in March 2015. The FBI and DOJ reviewed the case; federal officials later announced no evidence to pursue criminal civil-rights charges. Local reporting and federal statements document the FBI’s involvement and final determination.
Michael George Smith Jr. (Piedmont Park case) — 2016, Atlanta, Georgia
An adult Black man (identified later as Michael George Smith Jr.) was found hanging in Piedmont Park in July 2016. Officials initially called it a suicide; amid public concern the case was referred to the FBI for review.
Willie Andrew Jones Jr. — 2018, Scott County / Forest, Mississippi
Jones, 21, was found hanging from a tree in 2018. Local authorities and federal agents investigated; some agencies ruled the death a suicide, while family members pursued litigation and disputed the ruling (family later won a civil suit). The case remains widely cited in discussions of modern suspected lynchings.
Cluster of public hangings — 2020 “High Desert” / other cities (notable cases below)
In June 2020 several Black men were found hanging in different jurisdictions (a sequence that received national attention amid protests). Authorities in multiple jurisdictions investigated; many cases were later ruled suicides but families and communities pressed for independent scrutiny. Coverage and official statements documented multiple incidents in that window.
Malcolm Harsch — 2020, Victorville, California
Found hanging on May 31, 2020. San Bernardino County investigators released surveillance video and investigators indicated suicide; the FBI and state authorities reviewed the cluster of hangings in that region. Family questioned the ruling.
Robert Fuller — 2020, Palmdale, California
Found hanging near Palmdale City Hall on June 10, 2020. After investigation the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner ruled the cause of death hanging and the manner suicide; federal authorities had reviewed the cluster of cases in the region earlier. Family disputed initial quick conclusions and sought transparency.
Dominique Alexander — 2020, Fort Tryon / Inwood (Manhattan), New York City
Found in Fort Tryon Park on June 9, 2020. The NYC medical examiner later ruled the cause of death suicide by hanging; the case was part of the national conversation on multiple hangings that summer.
Nevan Baker — 2020, George Barker Park, Orlando, Florida
Found hanging in Oct. 2020; the Orange County medical examiner ruled the death a suicide by hanging. Family disputed the finding and sought fuller transparency. Local reporting documents the autopsy ruling and family concerns.
Dennoriss (Dennoriss/Dennoriss) Richardson — 2024 (discovered Sept. 2024; reporting into 2025), Colbert County / Sheffield, Alabama
Found hanging in an abandoned house in Sept. 2024. The local sheriff’s office initially ruled the death a suicide; the family commissioned a private autopsy that differed, and the sheriff asked the FBI to investigate. Two autopsies produced conflicting conclusions; the case received national media and civil-rights group attention.
Demartravion “Trey” Reed — 2025, Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi
Found hanging near campus pickleball courts on Sept. 15, 2025. Bolivar County coroner and Delta State University police responded; officials have said there is no evidence of foul play so far and autopsy is pending. The case drew immediate campus and national attention.
Cory (Corey) Zukatis — 2025, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Found hanging in a wooded area near the Ameristar Casino on Sept. 15, 2025. Warren County coroner confirmed identity and local police said the case is a death investigation; family was notified. Zukatis was a homeless white man.(Few public details have been released to date.)
There has been officially 11–13 well-reported modern incidents between 2014 and 2025, with others happening in local areas and not reported to national databanks.
Several other local cases exist in news and social reporting that have not been covered nationally; the true total nationwide for 2010–2025 cannot be reported with confidence, therefore I have only posted those I could confirm.
Sources: AP, CBS, LA Times, Washington Post, DOJ press release, major local outlets, and public ME reports where available.
Some cases remain locally reported only and may not be discoverable in national archives; official autopsy reports are sometimes sealed or delayed; definitions vary (not every hanging is classified as a “lynching” by prosecutors). Because official determinations vary and sometimes conflict with family-commissioned autopsies, I noted official findings where reported and flagged disputes where present.