Current:Home > reviewsRekubit Exchange:Mother's quest for justice continues a year after Black man disappeared -CapitalWay
Rekubit Exchange:Mother's quest for justice continues a year after Black man disappeared
Chainkeen View
Date:2025-04-09 22:07:39
The Rekubit Exchangemother of Rasheem Carter, a Black man from Mississippi who went missing a year ago and whose partial remains were later found, is still seeking answers about what happened to her son.
Rasheem Carter, 25, went missing on Oct. 2, 2022, just days after telling his mother and the police that white men in his community were targeting him. Around a month later, Rasheem Carter's remains were found in a wooded area south of Taylorsville, Mississippi. His head was severed from his body, according to an independent autopsy.
The medical examiner has ruled that the cause and manner of death were undetermined. Officials investigating the case haven't updated Rasheem Carter's family on new developments for several months, according to Tiffany Carter, Rasheem Carter's mother.
"If you [official investigators] have done everything you can," Tiffany Carter told ABC News. "Why I still don't have an answer to what happened to my son?"
The Mississippi Crime Lab notified the family that additional remains found on Feb. 23 matched Rasheem Carter's DNA, according to a statement released by his family and their attorney, Ben Crump, in April.
MORE: DOJ opens civil rights investigation after Black man shot in face by deputy
"He told me on the phone that it was three trucks of white men trying to kill him," Tiffany Carter said. "As any citizen of this world, you're going to try to get to a place of safety. And I thought telling him to go to a place of safety was the right thing to do as a mother because I wasn't close enough to get him, myself."
Rasheem Carter notified police that he was concerned for his safety and visited the Taylorsville Police Department on two separate occasions leading up to his disappearance, according to Tommy Cox, chief of the Laurel Police Department, which filed the initial missing persons' case after the family came to them for help.
Taylorsville police did not immediately return ABC News' request for a statement.
In addition to Rasheem Carter's head being severed, his spinal cord was recovered in a separate area from his head, according to Crump.
"I know this, something horrific was done to my son," Tiffany Carter said. "God knows and God will deal with everyone accordingly to what they have done."
Tiffany Carter told ABC News that she and her family reached out to the Mississippi Medical Examiner's Office, which has taken over the autopsy of the remains, multiple times and has not received a response. The medical examiner's office did not immediately return ABC News' request for a statement.
Tiffany Carter said the family has not received Rasheem Carter's remains to this day. The Smith County Police Department originally ruled out foul play in the case. According to Crump, officials recanted their statement.
MORE: Police chief suspended over newspaper raid
Smith County Sheriff Joel Houston told ABC News in March that earlier evidence of the case "didn't suggest" any foul play, stressing that "nothing is being swept under the rug."
Rasheem Carter's family and attorneys have called for a federal probe from the U.S. Department of Justice into his death.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the incident. The MBI did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Tiffany Carter told ABC News that she is especially worried for Rasheem Carter's 7-year-old daughter, who has become more withdrawn since the death of her father. She still reaches out to his old cell phone, Tiffany Carter said.
"She texts that number, 'Daddy, I love you. I love you,' all the time," Tiffany Carter said. "She listens to the videos and stuff that he sent her all the time. When I get her, my heart crushes every time cause she look just like him."
veryGood! (6)
Related
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- In Giuliani defamation trial, election worker testifies, I'm most scared of my son finding me or my mom hanging in front of our house
- Congo and rebel groups agree a 3-day cease-fire ahead of the presidential vote, US says
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert out for remainder of season with fractured index finger
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Federal Reserve may shed light on prospects for rate cuts in 2024 while keeping key rate unchanged
- House set for key vote on Biden impeachment inquiry as Republicans unite behind investigation
- Universities of Wisconsin regents to vote again on GOP deal to cut diversity spots for cash
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- How rich is Harvard? It's bigger than the economies of 120 nations.
Ranking
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Russian man who flew on Los Angeles flight without passport or ticket charged with federal crime
- Gifts for the Go-Getters, Trendsetters & People Who Are Too Busy to Tell You What They Want
- TikTok users were shocked to see UPS driver's paycheck. Here's how much drivers will soon be making.
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Judge rejects delay of ruling backing North Dakota tribes’ effort to change legislative boundaries
- Biden says Netanyahu's government is starting to lose support and needs to change
- Analysis: It’s uncertain if push to ‘Stop Cop City’ got enough valid signers for Atlanta referendum
Recommendation
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
TikTok users were shocked to see UPS driver's paycheck. Here's how much drivers will soon be making.
Missouri county to pay $1.2 million to settle lawsuit over inmate restraint chair death
Cheating in sports: Michigan football the latest scandal. Why is playing by rules so hard?
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
Crews work to contain gas pipeline spill in Washington state
House panel urges tougher trade rules for China, raising chance of more tariffs if Congress agrees
How the presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT testified to Congress on antisemitism