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Contested death (2000 to present)

Deondrey Montreal Hopkins

Ruled suicideMay 5, 2019 · Age 35 · Columbus, MS

Who Deondrey was

Deondrey Hopkins, known to family and friends as "DD," was born March 17, 1984, in Macon, Mississippi, to William T. and Patricia Clark Hopkins. He graduated from West Lowndes High School in 2002.

He worked at Jimco/Tronox in Hamilton, Mississippi, in the dredge maintenance department. He was a member of Oakland M.B. Church in Crawford, and he loved fishing and spending time with his dogs.

He married Sonya Fields on April 17, 2017. He's survived by his wife; his children, Deondrey Jr., Kaci, Kori and Kristian; his parents; his brother, William Jr.; and his grandmother, Margaret Smith. He was 35 and lived in Columbus.

What happened

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, 2019, a group riding ATVs found Deondrey Montreal Hopkins, 35, of Columbus, Mississippi, dead on the bank of Luxapalila Creek near the Waterworks Road bridge. He had last been seen around lunchtime that day, WCBI reported.

The next day Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant identified him, and WCBI reported that Columbus Police had found no evidence indicative of a homicide. By May 10, the coroner had ruled the death a suicide after consulting the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office, according to a press release from his office reported by The Dispatch. The Dispatch said Columbus Police had met with Deondrey's family and given them updates.

In August 2021 the Washington Post included Deondrey in a list of Black men found hanging in Mississippi and reported that the police chief said the death was not a homicide. No public family statement has been found, and the suicide ruling stands.

The case

Where found
Bank of Luxapalila Creek near the Waterworks Road bridge
Official finding
Suicide (Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant, after consulting the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office; announced in a coroner's press release reported by The Dispatch on May 10, 2019)
Time to finding
Within 5 days
Investigation
A group riding ATVs found him on the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, 2019. Columbus Police said they found no evidence indicative of a homicide. The coroner did not release a manner of death and ordered an autopsy. The Washington Post later reported that the police chief said it was not a homicide.
Family position
Not publicly stated.
Public evidence
None released.
Federal review
None reported. The Justice Department declined to comment to the Washington Post.
Last verified
2026-11-14
Verification note: Race is reported by the Washington Post's 2021 list of Black men found hanging in Mississippi; WCBI and The Dispatch do not state it. The Dispatch does not give the exact date of the ruling, only that it came before May 10, 2019. The Dispatch says Columbus Police met with his family and kept them updated; no public family statement was found.

Sources

Record history

  1. Nov 14, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Record updated
    • Life updated
    • Life sources updated
  2. Oct 23, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Record updated
    • Status: Ruled suicide
    • What happened updated
    • What happened sources updated
    • Official finding: Suicide (Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant, after consulting the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office; announced in a coroner's press release reported by The Dispatch on May 10, 2019)
    • Time to finding: Within 5 days
    • Verification note: Race is reported by the Washington Post's 2021 list of Black men found hanging in Mississippi; WCBI and The Dispatch do not state it. The Dispatch does not give the exact date of the ruling, only that it came before May 10, 2019. The Dispatch says Columbus Police met with his family and kept them updated; no public family statement was found.
  3. Oct 21, 2026 · Reviewed update
    Case added
    • Name: Deondrey Montreal Hopkins
    • Age: 35
    • Date found: 2019-05-05
    • City or county: Columbus
    • State: MS
    • What happened updated
    • What happened sources updated
    • Where found: Bank of Luxapalila Creek near the Waterworks Road bridge
    • Official finding: No manner of death publicly reported. Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant ordered an autopsy; Columbus Police said they found no evidence of a homicide.
    • Investigation: A group riding ATVs found him on the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, 2019. Columbus Police said they found no evidence indicative of a homicide. The coroner did not release a manner of death and ordered an autopsy. The Washington Post later reported that the police chief said it was not a homicide.
    • Family position: Not publicly stated.
    • Public evidence: None released.
    • Federal review: None reported. The Justice Department declined to comment to the Washington Post.
    • Verification note: Race is reported by the Washington Post's 2021 list of Black men found hanging in Mississippi; WCBI does not state it. No final autopsy result or coroner ruling was found.
    • Sources updated