On Sept. 11, Javion Magee was found dead in Vance County. Authorities found Magee’s body leaning against a tree with a rope wrapped 11 times around his neck. The end of the rope was tightly wrapped around the branch of the tree. A 911 caller reported seeing the body around 10 a.m.

Javion Magee was a 21-year-old truck driver from the Chicago area who was reportedly in Henderson, NC making a delivery to the Walmart distribution center.

Javion Magee’s death gained attention after his cousin shared the details of his death via TikTok. The video invoked outrage from the public who believe Javion Magee may have been lynched, as Henderson is known to have a history of racism.

Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Bram quickly shut down these allegations, saying that Magee’s death was not a lynching.

“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,” said Bram.

The sheriff stated there was no “foul play” and Javion Magee’s death was said to be a possible suicide because Magee had no defensive wounds, just the wound on his neck from the rope.

However, the family of Magee believes otherwise and said that he displayed no signs of mental illness or suicidal tendencies.

Vance County later released surveillance footage of Javion Magee purchasing the blue rope at Walmart around 6:20 PM. That same rope was found wrapped around his neck at the scene. The packaging for the rope laid beside him as well.

In the Walmart security video, Magee is seen tossing the rope between his hands before purchasing the item at the self-checkout terminal. Magee’s father, Kori Magee, was a truck driver as well.  A family member said the purchase of the rope was ordinary equipment used by truck drivers.

After leaving the Walmart, Javion Magee’s patterns were followed by investigators to a Hampton Inn which Magee entered for a brief moment before exiting.

Surveillance footage from a gas station then showed Magee’s truck turning onto Vance Mill Road and going toward the place of death. It was reported that the footage did not show Magee returning to his truck.

Sheriff investigators also highlighted that Magee gave a homeless person $228, just hours before his death. A witness stated that Magee handed the money to the homeless person and said: “I don’t know how much it is, but if I had more I would give it to you.”

An investigator stated that the autopsy, Javion Magee’s purchase of rope and Magee’s gift of $228 are all signs that Magee’s death had no outside influence.

Magee’s father contacted the owner of the property where his son’s body was found and the owner reported that Javion was with someone on the property, but the owner did not know who.

The family of Javion Magee is stricken with grief and suspects that there is more to the story than what the Vance County Police Department is sharing. Social media and Javion Magee’s family are pressuring the Vance County Police Department to be transparent about the case.

Following the uproar from the family of Javion Magee and the public, the Vance County Police Department began taking steps to be more transparent about the case.

A detailed timeline of Magee’s whereabouts before he was found dead was released to the public. It was curated based on the GPS in Magee’s truck, witness statements, surveillance footage and cell phone records. However, none of it seems to answer the question of what happened to Javion Magee.

A physiological autopsy, search warrant for Javion Magee’s phone and toxicology screening are being conducted to see if investigators can figure out his state of mind before his death or any other information that can point to his cause of death.

As for now, the death of Javion Magee remains unclear.