Javion Magee (Photo: GoFundMe)
HENDERSON, NC – Newly released surveillance footage is shedding light on the mysterious death of 21-year-old Javion Magee, an Illinois truck driver found dead in Vance County last week.
The footage shows Magee purchasing a rope at a local Walmart the night before his body was discovered, a detail that has sparked more questions than answers in an investigation that has already drawn national attention.
Magee was found last Wednesday morning in a parking lot on Vanco Mill Road, with a rope tied around his neck and the other end fastened to a nearby tree. A 911 call made by a worker mowing grass at the scene initially described the incident as a suicide, but Magee’s family disputes that narrative, suspecting foul play.
Sheriff Curtis R. Brame provided a timeline of Magee’s final hours based on surveillance and GPS data from his delivery truck. Magee was seen entering the Hampton Inn in Henderson on the evening of September 10, shortly after purchasing the rope. He left the hotel minutes later, and surveillance footage shows him parking his truck near the tree where his body would be discovered the next morning.
The Vance County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case, but authorities have yet to rule on whether Magee’s death was a result of suicide or foul play. While the footage offers insight into Magee’s actions the night before his death, his family remains unconvinced that the circumstances point to suicide.
Adding to the family’s frustration is their claim that law enforcement initially told them Magee had taken his own life. Sheriff Brame, however, denied that his office made such a statement. “At no point have we said this was a suicide,” he clarified in a recent interview.
The case has ignited public outcry and garnered national attention, with many questioning the official narrative and calling for a more transparent investigation. Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott addressed the growing concerns in a statement, offering her condolences to the Magee family while acknowledging the racial and historical tensions that tragedies like this often evoke.
“As a mother of a Black son, I understand the pain and fear that comes with this loss. The South has a painful racial history, and we must seek justice and clarity in the present while we confront our past,” said Mayor Elliott. She reassured the community that while the investigation falls under the jurisdiction of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the city is closely monitoring the situation to ensure transparency and accountability.
The family, alongside the community, is standing firm in its call for answers. As the investigation unfolds, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information to come forward.
Magee’s death has left his family, and a community in mourning, searching for justice. For them, the newly released footage is just one piece of a larger puzzle they believe will eventually reveal the truth.
Magee’s family has set up a GoFundMe page titled “JUSTICE 4 JAVION.”
WRAL TV contributed to this report.
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