According to The New York Post, Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white woman who claimed that Black teenager Emmett Till had made inappropriate advances before he got lynched in Mississippi in 1955, has passed away at the age of 88 while receiving hospice care in Louisiana.
A death report was submitted to the Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office in Louisiana on Thursday, stating that Donham passed away Tuesday night in Westlake.
When Till’s mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in their hometown of Chicago following the recovery of his tortured body from a Mississippi river, his kidnapping and murder catalyzed the civil rights movement. Photos appeared in Jet magazine.
In August 1955, Till took a trip from Chicago to see family in Mississippi. Donham, known as Carolyn Bryant, claimed Emmett Till made inappropriate advances toward her in the small town of Money’s grocery store.
According to NPR, Till’s cousin, The Rev. Wheeler Parker, who was present, claimed Till whistled at the woman as a prank when he was 14 years old, defying the racist social mores of the time in Mississippi.
The teenager was killed by Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, according to evidence that a woman gave to them. The two white men who committed the murder got cleared by a white-only jury, but they later admitted their guilt in an interview with Look magazine.
Donham claimed that she was unaware of what would happen to the 14-year-old Till in an unpublished memoir that, The Associated Press obtained in 2022. At the time, Donham was 21.
The Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting was the first to report on the information contained in the 99-page manuscript titled “I am More Than A Wolf Whistle.” The AP received a copy from Durham historian and author Timothy Tyson, who claimed to have obtained it from Donham during their 2008 interview.
Though he claimed he gave it to the FBI during an investigation the agency wrapped up last year, Tyson had deposited the manuscript in an archive at the University of North Carolina with the understanding that it would not be made public for decades. He claimed that the recent discovery of a 1955 arrest warrant for Donham on kidnapping charges didn’t get executed led him to decide to make it public at this time.
Lauren Smith-Fields, a 23 year old black woman was found unresponsive in her apartment on December 12, 2021 after a bumble date with Matthew LaFountain. LaFountain was the first to report her suspicious death to authorities, according to Lauren’s father.
A large blood stain was found on Lauren Smith-Fields bed and other several pieces of key evidence, including a used condom, lubricant and an unidentified pill, were found at the scene.
Despite LaFountain being the last person she was with, he was not initially questioned nor arrested by the Bridgeport Police Department because “he seems like a nice guy”. According to Lauren’s father Everett, the only contact that they had with the police was from “a very insensitive, condescending and arrogant detective”. The Medical Examiner’s Office also wouldn’t release the cause of death so Lauren’s own father ended up paying out of pocket for a second autopsy because they “felt so uncomfortable with the way it was handled.”
The cause of her death has yet to be determined. Her family is speaking out and plans on suing the Bridgeport, Connecticut police department. They also spoke with CBS Morning Elise Preston about the information they have received.
The youngest of the eight people who died from Astroworld Festival was a 9th grader named John Hilgert at Memorial High School in Houston.
Family confirms that 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez, who attended Heights High School, died. Franco Patino, 21, who was studying mechanical engineering technology at the University of Dayton died as well, according to the university.
23-year-old, Rudy Peña medical assistant and criminal justice major was one of the eight people who died during the deadly Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston on Friday.
27-year-old Danish Baig was one of the people who died following a surge at the concert. He is said to have died after trying to save a relative during the stampede at the tragic event, his brother Basil Baig confirmed on social media.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims family and loved ones.
Dr. Brent Blue announces the cause of death for 22-year-old Gabby Petito was “strangulation” and the manner was “homicide.”
The U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie last month.
FBI also adds he used a Capitol One debit card with ‘intent to defraud’ between August 30th and September 1st in Wyoming. The FBI says Laundrie is wanted for “use of unauthorized access device” related to his activities following the death of Gabby Petito.
A North Port law firm is now offering a reward up to $20,000 for information regarding Laundrie’s exact whereabouts.
Click here to see the previous updates on Gabby Petito case
An English teacher at Saugerties High School assigned her 9th grade students an assignment saying “George Floyd did not die because Derek Chauvin knee was on his neck. He died from a heart attack and drug overdose.”
Derek Chauvin was recently convicted for murdering George Floyd. This teacher is spreading false information to her students.
Hope Antonelli has been identified as the English teacher at Saugerties High School that’s spreading inaccurate and dangerous information.
Antonelli students have revealed to Dave NewsWorld that she is allegedly a Trump supporter, who’s against Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ Community, and wearing mask.
Saugerties Central School District is aware of the situation and will be reviewing the incident. They haven’t released any information about Hope Antonelli being relieved of her duties or disciplined in any manner for handing out such an assignment.
