Content warning: This story contains graphic details.
The cause of death for Javion Magee, the 21-year-old Chicagoland truck driver who was found dead in North Carolina last year, has been ruled a suicide by the state’s Medical Examiner’s Office.
The TRiiBE requested a copy of the autopsy report from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner following Magee’s death in September 2024. The medical examiner’s office sent the autopsy and toxicology reports in an email on Wednesday.
“Based on the autopsy findings and circumstances surrounding the death, as currently understood, the cause of death is listed as hanging. The manner of death is classified as suicide,” the autopsy report reads.
The report also states that Magee’s injuries were consistent with hanging and that there was no other trauma, natural disease, ethanol, illegal drugs or medications that caused his death. The toxicology report found traces of THC in his system.
Magee’s family has received and reviewed both reports, according to Candice Matthews, a civil rights activist and state chair for the Texas Democratic Black Caucus, who is serving as spokesperson for Magee’s family, she confirmed in a May 9 statement to The TRiiBE.
“After careful consideration, the family has expressed deep concern and disagreement with aspects of the report—specifically regarding the cause and/or manner of death,” the statement reads. “Based on conflicting information and several unanswered questions, the family believes the report does not fully or accurately reflect the circumstances surrounding Javion’s passing.”
Magee’s family will pursue an independent forensic review and is calling for a thorough, transparent investigation.
“Javion Magee was deeply loved, and his family is committed to honoring his memory by seeking truth, justice, and full accountability,” according to the press statement.
Magee was in Henderson, NC, delivering a load to a local Walmart Supercenter on Sept. 10, 2024. He was found dead the following morning. Magee was a driver for KLLM Transport Services and it was his first time making a delivery to Henderson, according to a police report.
On Sept. 11, a 911 call was made at 10:08 a.m. from 285 Vanco Mill Road in Henderson. The 911 caller, who police identified as the owner of T&R Tractor & Trailer Repair, told an emergency responder that they were mowing the grass and saw a man who appeared to have hung himself from a tree.
The 911 caller added that the man looked dead and that “he still has a rope around his neck.”
Vance County deputies and emergency responders were dispatched to the area. When deputies arrived, they saw a Black man sitting outside a fenced-in area at the base of a tree with a rope wrapped around his neck and the other end attached to a tree, according to the written release. Packaging and a receipt of the rope purchased were found on the scene.
The man was later identified as Magee of Aurora, Illinois.
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office initially told Magee’s mother and stepfather that Magee died by suicide and they suspected no foul play, according to Candice Matthers, a spokesperson for the family.
Magee’s family disputed the police’s narrative because they said he didn’t have a history of mental illness or criminal activity.
There was also speculation on social media that Magee was lynched, but Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said in a TV interview that Magee’s death was not a lynching.
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office later released surveillance video of Magee exiting the local Walmart Supercenter with a blue rope he purchased at the store’s self-checkout on Sept. 11, 2024.
About a week after his death, the family, along with civil rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Harry Daniels and NC attorney Jason Keith, hosted a press conference in front of the Vance County Courthouse in Henderson. It was the first time they spoke publicly about their son’s death.
“If he wasn’t here [in Henderson], he would still be alive,” Magee’s father, Kori Magee, said. He also spoke about his son’s competitive nature and conversations they’d had when he decided to become a truck driver.
It’s unclear where Magee was headed next after Henderson, but he planned to visit cousins in Houston, Texas, during his time away from home, according to Daniels, who added that Magee was excited to visit and spend time with family.
“I just ask that you guys keep us in prayer,” Magee’s mother, Tiara Roberson Gates, said.
