Danye Jones, Son Of Ferguson Activist, Found Lynched In His Mother’s Backyard
Ferguson, Mo. – Ferguson activist Melissa McKinnies says she found her 24-year-old son, Danye Jones, hanging from a tree in her backyard and she believes it was the result of a hate crime.
McKinnies is calling out for justice after her son was lynched on October 17, 2018, and police want her and the rest of us to believe it was a suicide. The distraught mother posted pictures of her dead son to Facebook and wrote:
“This is what I woke up to! They lynched my baby. My first time seeing these photos. If you have a weak stomach don’t look but this mother wants justice after I get up. I’m sick and losing my mind, but I had to let the world know what they did to my baby!”
McKinnies was a member of the grassroots organization Lost Voices, which protested the death of unarmed teen Mike Brown by police.
Facebook removed the original post and pictures but not before the images were shared, with many wondering why no one was reporting on the story.
“The death of Danye Jones is still an active investigation,” Sgt. Shawn McGuire, the public information supervisor with the St. Louis County Police Department said in an exclusive interview with rolling out. “On the morning of October 17, 2018, officers responded to a 911 call of a suicide in the 11400 block of Criterion. Upon arrival at the scene, responding officers noted the deceased lying on the ground surrounded by family members.”
“McGuire said a 911 call about a “suicide” was made by a family member who used that specific word,” Rolling out writes.
The news site also contacted the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office and was able to find out the following information from Suzanne McCune, spokesperson for Dr. Mary Case, Chief Medical Examiner for St. Louis County:
- The cause of death for Danye Jones has not been determined. It has not been ruled a suicide or a homicide. The investigation is still considered to be open.
- The autopsy process is not complete, and currently toxicology tests are being run. The results can take up to six to eight weeks to be returned.
- It is the policy not to release a cause of death or speculate until all required tests and results have been completed and reviewed by the chief medical examiner for St. Louis County.
Click here to see the graphic images of Danye Jones, posted by his mother.