The family of a Black man whose body was discovered south of Taylorsville, Mississippi, has demanded a federal probe into his murder after local officials said there was “no cause to assume foul play was involved” in his death. According to NBC News, Rasheem Carter of Fayette told his mother shortly before his death that White guys were pursuing him and throwing racial obscenities at him.
The mother of the murdered 25-year-old said her son called the police for assistance and told her over the phone that he was being pursued by White males in trucks. Carter’s family was unable to contact him immediately afterwards and reported him missing on October 2.
However, following the discovery of his body on November 2, the Smith County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement on Facebook stating that there was no “reason to assume” the Black man’s death was the result of foul play. Meanwhile, the case was still under investigation when the statement was issued.
During a press conference on Monday, Carter’s lawyer, Benjamin Crump, told reporters that he believes the 25-year-body old’s was severed, adding that it was “not a natural death.” However, other relatives claim that authorities informed them that Carter’s body had been severed by wild animals.
“He was in so many different pieces,” Yokena Anderson, the cousin of Carter’s mother, said. “They wanted to tell us that he went there and fell dead and the animals were feeding off him.”
Tiffany Carter, Carter’s mother, said her son did not mince words when he warned her about his allegedly violent position during phone calls previous to his abduction. She also said he had never used drugs or alcohol and had no history of mental illness, according to NBC News.