Javion Magee death: Investigation in Henderson, North Carolina, 'not a lynching,' says Vance County sheriff despite reports of execution

HENDERSON, N.C. (WTVD) – The investigation into a death in Vance County is generating questions and rumors on the Internet across the country.

Javion Magee, a 21-year-old Chicago-area truck driver, was found dead in a rural area near Vanco Mill Road on Sept. 11. Investigators said he was lying not far from his truck, leaning with his back against a tree and a rope around his neck.

Magee's family in Chicago is distraught and demanding answers. Many of them are even traveling to North Carolina to pressure investigators to release more information about what happened.

“From what I understand, there are over 1,000 views on TikTok (accusing the sheriff's office) of not being transparent and not giving the family information, and that is not true,” said Vance County Sheriff Curtis R. Brame. “There is information that there is a lynching in Vance County. There is no lynching in Vance County. The young man was not dangling from a tree. He was not swinging from a tree. The rope was wrapped around his neck. It was not a noose. There was no knot in the rope, so it was not a lynching here in Vance County.”

Brame told ABC11 there were no signs of foul play in Magee's death. He said Magee went to a nearby Walmart shortly before his death, where he reportedly purchased the rope that was found around his neck.

Magee's body was sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy to officially determine the cause of death.

Brame said once a preliminary autopsy report is available, he will share it with Magee's family and then make a decision about how to release it to the public.

Brame also said the State Bureau of Investigation is now involved in the case.