Lawmakers Cite Nation’s Lynching History as They Call Reported Deaths a “National Crisis”
Nearly 60 congressional Democrats are calling on the Justice Department and FBI to investigate a series of cases involving Black Americans found hanging from trees, warning that the deaths demand greater federal scrutiny given the nation’s long history of racial terror.
The demand comes in a letter led by U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and obtained exclusively by theGrio, which first reported on the lawmakers’ request Thursday.
The group, largely made up of members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus, asked U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to conduct what lawmakers described as thorough, transparent and comprehensive investigations into the deaths.
“The series of deaths raises significant suspicion of foul play, given the role of lynching in our nation’s history,” lawmakers wrote, according to the letter.
Among the nearly 60 Democrats signing the letter are U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Yvette Clarke of New York, Ro Khanna of California, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Maxine Waters of California and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.
Related: New Report Finds More Than 70 Suspected Modern-Day Lynchings Since 2000
The lawmakers argued that each death should receive serious scrutiny from federal authorities and pointed to decades in which lynchings and suspicious deaths of Black Americans went uninvestigated or unpunished.
Families Question Deaths as Black Americans Are Found Hanging Across the U.S.
In an statement to theGrio, Pressley said federal authorities cannot ignore the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
“In this moment of anti-Blackness and emboldened white supremacy, we cannot stand idly by while the strange fruit of Black bodies hang from trees across the country,” Pressley said.
She added that federal investigations should be conducted thoroughly and transparently so families can receive answers.
Related: Jasmine Crockett Demands DOJ Investigate Modern-Day Lynchings of Black Americans
According to reports, at least 10 Black people have reportedly been found hanging in cases across the country in 2026.
Those cases include 38-year-old Demetrius Eugene Fleming in North Carolina; 16-year-old Juliana Nzita in North Carolina; 29-year-old Tasia Fortune in Mississippi; 21-year-old Kyle Bassinga in Georgia; and 28-year-old Jerard “Jay” Jackson in Michigan.
Several of the deaths have prompted questions from families and advocates about how quickly authorities reached preliminary conclusions, including the case of 29-year-old mother of four Tasia Fortune, whose family challenged speculation that she died by suicide after she was found hanging from a tree behind an abandoned home in Jackson, Mississippi.
High-profile cases reported in 2025 included Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed, Earl Smith in Albany, New York, and Torrance “Tory” Medley in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Lawmakers Call for Independent Autopsies and Federal Review
The congressional letter describes the growing number of reported hanging deaths as a “national crisis” and points to research from JULIAN examining suspected modern-day lynchings.
The organization’s Crimson Record report identified more than 70 suspected modern-day lynching cases since 2000. They found that determining whether a death constitutes a lynching can be particularly difficult because cases may initially be classified as suicides or investigated without evidence establishing a hate crime.
Congress passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in 2022, establishing lynching as a federal hate crime when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime results in death or serious bodily injury. The legislation was named for Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy kidnapped and murdered in Mississippi in 1955.
Lawmakers told the DOJ and FBI that federal reviews of suspicious deaths should, with families’ permission, include independent autopsies, audits of state and local investigations and reviews of physical and testimonial evidence.
They are also seeking systematic federal data collection tracking hanging deaths involving Black Americans and final reports to Congress explaining investigative findings.
The lawmakers requested regular communication between federal authorities and congressional offices as the cases are reviewed.
