‘Question anything authorities say’: Preliminary autopsy suggests #OtisByrd committed suicide, not lynched

Yesterday we reported how Goldie Taylor, among others, was quick to label the death of Otis Byrd in Mississippi a hanging.

Taylor went as far as to curse at a tweeter who dared tell her to wait for there to be proof before declaring a crime had been committed:

https://twitter.com/goldietaylor/status/578687406859255808

And now, proof is coming in … just not the type Taylor and the rest of the racial grievance industry were looking for:

https://twitter.com/goldietaylor/status/579005576379772928

https://twitter.com/ShepNewsTeam/status/578994292447842305

The African-American man found hanging from a Mississippi tree likely died from suicide, according to a report. http://t.co/Odolp78Rmq

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 20, 2015

Taylor, however, isn’t quite ready to give up the “lynching” narrative just yet:

https://twitter.com/goldietaylor/status/579009086177599489

And like Taylor, many others aren’t convinced it was a suicide, too:

While I can believe #OtisByrd committed suicide, many of us also believe authorities would be reluctant to address domestic terrorism.

— Tananarive Due (@TananariveDue) March 20, 2015

https://twitter.com/BreeNewsome/status/578991736887848960

https://twitter.com/thrustunnie/status/578990179299561472

https://twitter.com/DrFrazureCrane/status/578984054915260417

@LarryGreentree Come on. You can't actually believe that #OtisByrd committed suicide and just so happened to choose to lynch himself.

— Metro Bloomin (@Federal_flashes) March 20, 2015

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https://twitter.com/ShaneRain_/status/578912198765981696

#OtisByrd was lynched 15 ft above the ground in the middle of the woods w/no chair in sight. Suicide is impossible. pic.twitter.com/NFynyeICen

— #FixthePolice (@mikebrowncover) March 20, 2015

NO BLACK MAN commits damn SUICIDE in Mississippi by hanging HIMSELF on a damn tree w/ BED SHEETS! It's ABSURD! #OtisByrd #TheLead #Racism

— ???TrAcEy,RN, MSN?? (@Here_ISound_Off) March 20, 2015

Exit question: At this point, what evidence will people need to see to actually believe Mr. Byrd’s death wasn’t a lynching?

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Related:

‘Where’s the proof?’ Goldie Taylor labels ‘suspicious hanging’ in Mississippi a ‘lynching’