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Contested death (2000 to present)

Danye Dion Jones

Ruled suicide, disputedOct 17, 2018 · Age 24 · St. Louis County, MO

Who Danye was

Danye Jones was 24 and the eldest son of Melissa McKinnies. He lived with his family in Spanish Lake, in north St. Louis County, Missouri, with his brother, his sister, his stepfather and his uncle.

In 2014, after the police killing of Michael Brown, his mother was a visible presence in the Ferguson protests, and she often brought Danye and his brother with her. When threats against the family appeared online, his mother says he became very protective of them.

He had just launched his own real estate business and felt confident about it. His mother remembers him as silly and happy, a young man in good spirits with a lot to live for.

Portrait of Danye Dion Jones
Family photo, via KMOV-TV · where it was shared

In the words of those who knew them

  • “My son was silly, he was happy, I know my son.”His mother, Melissa McKinnies, to Rolling Stone · source
  • “He had a lot to live for.”His mother, Melissa McKinnies · source
  • “A mother knows her son. A mother knows her child.”His mother, Melissa McKinnies · source

What happened

Danye Jones, 24, was found on Oct. 17, 2018, hanging from a tree behind his family's home in Spanish Lake, in north St. Louis County. His mother, Melissa McKinnies, a visible presence in the 2014 Ferguson protests, found him, according to CBS News/AP. The New York Review of Books reported that his stepfather had come home from a night shift to find Danye gone and a packed bag on the back porch. St. Louis County police spokesman Shawn McGuire said there were no signs of trauma or foul play and that detectives were treating the death as a suicide after talking with relatives and friends, though the investigation stayed open.

Melissa posted on Facebook, "They lynched my baby." At a Nov. 1 news conference she said, "He did not do that. He would not do that," disputed details of the scene, and said she believed he was killed in retaliation for her activism. A GoFundMe for funeral costs, a private autopsy and a private investigator raised more than $49,000, the Review reported.

In January 2019 the county medical examiner's office ruled the death a suicide without performing an autopsy, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Melissa said she didn't agree, and police said their investigation remained active. In 2021 the podcast "After the Uprising" revisited the case; reporter Ray Nowosielski told St. Louis Public Radio that police didn't follow all of Melissa's leads or test other DNA found at the scene, and police defended their work. No charges have been reported.

The case

Where found
Tree behind the family's home
Official finding
Suicide (St. Louis County Medical Examiner, January 2019; no autopsy was performed). Police said the investigation remained open.
Time to finding
Police said within about two weeks they were treating it as suicide; ME report about three months later
Investigation
St. Louis County Police said detectives found no signs of trauma or foul play after talking with relatives and friends.
Family position
His mother says he was not suicidal and believes someone took his life. She has pushed for a murder investigation; a public fundraiser for an independent autopsy and a private investigator raised more than $49,000.
Public evidence
No autopsy was performed. The family's mother received the medical examiner's report and disputes it.
Federal review
None reported
Last verified
2026-10-18

Sources

Record history

  1. Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Record updated
    • What happened updated
    • What happened sources updated
  2. Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Record updated
    • Life updated
    • Remembered updated
    • Life sources updated
  3. Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Record updated
    • Official finding: Suicide (St. Louis County Medical Examiner, January 2019; no autopsy was performed). Police said the investigation remained open.
    • Family position: His mother says he was not suicidal and believes someone took his life. She has pushed for a murder investigation; a public fundraiser for an independent autopsy and a private investigator raised more than $49,000.
    • Public evidence: No autopsy was performed. The family's mother received the medical examiner's report and disputes it.
  4. Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Portrait added (Family photo, via KMOV-TV)
  5. Oct 18, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Case added
    • Name: Danye Dion Jones
    • Age: 24
    • Date found: 2018-10-17
    • City or county: St. Louis County
    • State: MO
    • Status: Ruled suicide, disputed
    • Where found: Tree behind the family's home
    • Official finding: Suicide (St. Louis County Police; medical examiner's report released Jan 2019)
    • Time to finding: Police said within about two weeks they were treating it as suicide; ME report about three months later
    • Investigation: St. Louis County Police said detectives found no signs of trauma or foul play after talking with relatives and friends.
    • Family position: His mother, Ferguson activist Melissa McKinnies, rejects the ruling. She told CNN: "He did not do that. He would not do that."
    • Public evidence: Autopsy and toxicology by the county medical examiner. His death is the subject of the documentary series "After the Uprising."
    • Federal review: None reported
    • Sources updated