Roosevelt Champion III
Who Roosevelt was
Roosevelt Champion III was 43 and lived in Greensboro, a small rural town in Greene County, Georgia, about 70 miles east of Atlanta.
His family includes his mother, JoAnn Henderson, and his sisters Miranda Wright and Terri Johnson. His sisters described him as happy, kind and generous, someone who tried to help everybody. A longtime family friend described him as a quiet, hard worker and said Roosevelt's mother was like a second mother to him.
In the words of those who knew them
“He's always happy”His sister, Terri Johnson · source
“He tries to help everybody.”His sister, Terri Johnson · source
“He was a very kind guy, sweet. Give you the shirt off his back”His sister, Miranda Wright · source
“He was a good guy, my brother was”His sister, Miranda Wright · source
“It really hurt.”His mother, JoAnn Henderson · source
“He was a pretty quiet guy, hard worker”A longtime family friend, quoted by theGrio · source
What happened
On the morning of May 11, 2015, a passerby found Roosevelt Champion III, 43, in the backyard of a home in Greensboro, Georgia, at about 9 a.m. He did not live at the home. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation took the case.
WSB-TV reported that investigators had interviewed Roosevelt about the May 2 killing of a woman in the area, and that he had not been charged. The next day, the GBI said that after an autopsy there was no evidence of any inflicted trauma, and it ruled his death a suicide.
His sisters spoke to NBC News. Miranda Wright said she was angry because she had no answers and doubted he would have harmed himself. Terri Johnson said he was always happy. No federal review or later family statement has been reported, and the suicide ruling stands.
The case
- Where found
- Tree in the backyard of a home where he did not live
- Official finding
- Suicide (Georgia Bureau of Investigation, after autopsy, May 2015)
- Time to finding
- About 1 day
- Investigation
- A passerby found him at about 9 a.m. on May 11, 2015. The GBI investigated and, after an autopsy, said there was "no evidence of any inflicted trauma" and ruled the death a suicide. WSB-TV reported that investigators had interviewed him about a May 2 homicide in the area; he had not been charged.
- Family position
- His sister Miranda Wright told NBC News: "He do a lot of things but he wouldn't have harmed himself, I doubt it," and "I'm angry because I don't have answers." His sister Terri Johnson said: "He's always happy."
- Public evidence
- GBI autopsy findings as described by the agency.
- Federal review
- None reported
- Last verified
- 2026-10-23
Sources
Record history
- Oct 23, 2026 · Reviewed updateRecord updated
- Life updated
- Remembered updated
- Life sources updated
- Oct 21, 2026 · Reviewed updateCase added
- Name: Roosevelt Champion III
- Age: 43
- Date found: 2015-05-11
- City or county: Greensboro (Greene County)
- State: GA
- Status: Ruled suicide, disputed
- What happened updated
- What happened sources updated
- Where found: Tree in the backyard of a home where he did not live
- Official finding: Suicide (Georgia Bureau of Investigation, after autopsy, May 2015)
- Time to finding: About 1 day
- Investigation: A passerby found him at about 9 a.m. on May 11, 2015. The GBI investigated and, after an autopsy, said there was "no evidence of any inflicted trauma" and ruled the death a suicide. WSB-TV reported that investigators had interviewed him about a May 2 homicide in the area; he had not been charged.
- Family position: His sister Miranda Wright told NBC News: "He do a lot of things but he wouldn't have harmed himself, I doubt it," and "I'm angry because I don't have answers." His sister Terri Johnson said: "He's always happy."
- Public evidence: GBI autopsy findings as described by the agency.
- Federal review: None reported
- Verification note: Only WSB-TV names Greene County; CBS says Greensboro, Ga. The family doubt comes from one sister's comments to NBC the day after; no later family statement was found.
- Sources updated