HENDERSON, N.C. (WTVD) – The investigation into the death of a Chicago man in North Carolina continues, while questions and rumors surrounding the death grow, especially on social media.

Javion Magee, a 21-year-old Chicago-area truck driver, was found dead Wednesday in a rural area off Vanco Mill Road. Investigators said he was lying not far from his truck, leaning with his back against a tree and with a rope around his neck. Magee was in Henderson making a delivery to the Walmart distribution center.

Magee’s family, who live in Chicago, is shocked and demanding answers. They are demanding transparency and more answers from the Vance County Sheriff’s Office about the incident.

On Friday, Sheriff Curtis R. Brame told ABC11 that his office was conducting a death investigation.

Brame told ABC11 that 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. When ABC11 asked further questions, Brame declined to elaborate. In response to rumors on social media, the sheriff continued to reiterate that Magee’s death was not a lynching.

“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’s not true,” Brame said. “There is information that there is a lynching taking place in Vance County. There is no lynching taking place 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.”

Nearly a thousand miles away, Magee’s family was not convinced.

“A lot of this stuff is unsmellable and that’s a problem. The whole family is completely ashamed and hurt, really. They have a lot of questions and just want to know what happened to their loved one,” said family spokeswoman Candice Matthews.

Khalil Gay, who lives in Henderson, said, “I mean, honestly, I think we have to recognize, first of all, that we live in the South and there is a long history of racism and racist acts. And so people are obviously concerned about it.”

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

Preliminary autopsy results

Late Friday, Brame shared new information about Magee’s preliminary autopsy. He said the results have been shared with the family. The preliminary results did not show a concrete determination of Magee’s cause of death. There were no obvious signs of defensive injuries or scarring on his limbs, including arms and legs. The autopsy found signs of bleeding in the soft area of ​​Magee’s neck.

Brame said his office is waiting for the toxicology report, which could take some time.

“We are exploring every possibility and examining every aspect of all information. We are tracking the company to obtain its GPS data,” Brame said.

Brame said he not only involved the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), but also asked the Attorney General’s Office to assist in the investigation. The Attorney General’s Office rejected that characterization, saying law enforcement can ask the SBI to get involved, but only district attorneys can ask the Attorney General to get involved.