Ferguson activist Melissa McKinnies say her son Danye Jones, who was found hanging from a tree, was lynched.
St Louis police responding to a 911 call on Oct. 17 observed Jones’ body laying on the ground in a wooded area surrounded by grieving family members.
A family member who placed the 911 call specifically referred to Jones as a “suicide.” But Mckinnies insists Jones was lynched.
The prominent Ferguson activist published a graphic Facebook post that showed 2 photos of 24-year-old Jones hanging by the neck from a tree. The photos have since been removed.
“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 see what they did to my baby!”
Shawn Maguire, of the St. Louis Police public information unit, told Heavy.com Jones’ death is being investigated as a suicide.
McKinnies rose to prominence as a vocal member of an activist group that protested the police shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. in August 2014.
