The family of Nevan Baker, a Black man who was found hanging from a tree in Orlando, want answers after his death was ruled as a suicide — even though his hands were tied behind his back.
According to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Baker’s “hands were tied, teeth missing and face bruised.”
A statement from the police department Monday said: “While we are awaiting the final report from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, an agency independent of the Orlando Police Department, their initial findings ruled the death a suicide.”
But how can Nevan have hung himself if his hands were tied? And how did his teeth get knocked out?
“You cannot take lightly when a Black person is found hanging from a tree. You cannot rule it a suicide immediately before you do a thorough investigation,” Francine James, Baker’s grandmother, said per WESH.
The police are asking for anyone with information to call police at 321-235-5300.