Sheriff says video shows man buying rope found around his neck, family says it's left more questions
HENDERSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Some new developments in a high-profile death investigation in Vance County.
Last week, ABC11 Eyewitness News reported the death of a young truck driver, Javion Magee. He was found dead last Wednesday in a wooded area with his back up against a tree and a rope around his neck.
Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame said there were no signs of foul play in Magee's death and that it was not a lynching.
On Monday, the Vance County Sheriff's Office released a video showing the moments Magee bought the rope the sheriff says was used in his death.
In the video, you see a man purchasing a utility rope from the self-checkout lane at a Walmart in Henderson. You then see him walking out of the store with the rope in hand.
A spokesperson for his family says they've seen the video, but that it's only left more questions.
"The family is saying that specific video does not declare the fact that this was a suicide, the family still suspects foul play at this point right now, but they really just want answers," says family spokesperson Candice Matthews. "They want to know from that timeline, from him purchasing that rope all the way to the tree where he was hung."
We're also hearing the 911 call that came in from the man who discovered Javion's body near where his truck was parked.
Operator: Vance County 911, what's your emergency?
Caller: I have some guys out here mowing the grass and I got a man who hung himself in a tree
Operator: The guy hung himself in the tree?
Caller: Yeah, he looks dead. He's still got a rope around his neck.
Meanwhile, Javion's family taking their quest for answers here to North Carolina.
"They have that right, this is their loved one, someone they truly loved that was taken from them," Matthews says.
The family and their attorney will be hosting a press conference Wednesday at 12:30 in front of the Vance County Sheriff's Office.
The cause of death is still under investigation, but Sheriff Brame said there is no evidence Magee was the victim of a crime. The two investigating agencies in this case are the Vance County Sheriff's Office and SBI.
The video release comes after a spokesperson for the family released a statement Saturday, saying: "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."
