After Black man found dead in NC with rope around neck, his Chicago family calls for transparency
HENDERSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Family members of a Chicago man who was found dead in Vance County, and the public are calling for transparency from authorities during the investigation.
Javion Magee, a 21-year-old truck driver from Aurora, Illinois, just outside Chicago, was found dead in a rural area off Vanco Mill Road on Wednesday in Vance County. 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.
"The family stated that Javion is a loving, loving buddy. Good to be around. You know, he never had any disturbing issues like that," said the family's representative, Dr. Candice Matthews. "He loved his family. You know, he loved just enjoying himself. And he loved being a truck driver. That was what he loved to do. So it's like everybody is confused right now, like, what is this?"
Matthews shared the latest thoughts of Javion's closest loved ones, saying their world is in turmoil after they said the Vance County Sheriff's office called them and said he died by suicide.
However, Sheriff Curtis Brame said there was no sign of foul play, though the investigation is ongoing.
Matthews said in a statement Saturday: "The family (spoke) to the medical examiner (on Friday) in regard to the preliminary results... Based on the information provided, the family still suspects foul play due to there (being) nothing under his fingernails or hands.... He did have a broken neck with blood around the neck which came from the hanging.... They also feel that this entire investigation is in no way transparent."
A search warrant states that Magee was seen on video buying a rope at the Walmart on Cooper Drive in Henderson -- apparently the same rope found with his body.
In that video, Magee used the self-checkout and was wearing the same clothes he was later found in. Twelve minutes later, he was seen entering the Hampton Inn on Ruin Creek Road and then leaving a few minutes later. An associate at the hotel told ABC11 off-camera they didn't have any rooms available that night.
He then drove to Vanco Mill Road where surveillance video showed his truck pulling in and Magee walking away, according to the warrant.
Just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, a 911 call led deputies to Magee's body.
Civil rights activists and people in the community are also looking for clarity and for footage to be shared with the family.
"Transparency. You know, that's what must be demanded in this case," said activist the Rev. William Barber II. "What we must first do is find out what happened, and there must be truth and transparency and nothing less. You cannot -- when you find African-Americans with a rope around their neck at a base of a tree -- and dismiss that in the South; particularly with the history and that kind of violence in the South and what it has often been."
Brame told ABC11 that the State Bureau of Investigation is involved in the case. He added that a cause of death has not been determined but as of now, there were no obvious signs that he was trying to defend himself. The sheriff's office is still waiting on a toxicology report.
Meanwhile, anxious loved ones wait for answers.
"The family feels that they deserve accountability. And the family feels that they deserve justice," Matthews said. "And this is what we are all going to do to ensure that that family gets some type of closure."
WATCH | Vance Co. Sheriff talks about Javion Magee death investigation
