Cause of death undeterminable in Rasheem Carter case, MBI says

TAYLORSVILLE, Miss. (WDAM) - New updates in the Rasheem Carter death investigation raise more questions than answers.

Ever since the 25-year-old’s remains were discovered on Nov. 2, 2022, there has been a consistent public outcry for answers to what happened to him.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) announced on Wednesday, March 22, that the state medical examiner could not reasonably determine Carter’s cause of death.

“A forensic anthropology examination was completed by the Mississippi State Medical Examiners Officer on February 2nd, 2023,” reads a press release from MBI. “Based solely upon the condition of the remains, there was no means by which a cause of death could be reasonably determined by the medical examiner’s office.”

Due to the pending investigation, they offered no further comment or details about Carter’s death or disappearance.

This announcement comes on the heels of public requests by Carter’s family and the family’s attorneys for the Department of Justice to assist in the investigation.

When Carter’s skeletal remains were discovered on a property near Taylorsville, the Smith County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD) said foul play was not suspected.

Carter’s family, however, has maintained since the beginning that Carter was targeted and killed.

His mother, Tiffany Carter, pointed to Carter’s text messages and phone calls before his death, where he talked about “truckloads or white guys” following him and trying to hurt him. In one text message, Carter said he was having trouble with his employer and believed that was who was targeting him.

In a press conference on March 13, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump shared gruesome details of how Carter’s body was discovered. Crump said Carter’s head was severed from the body and his vertebrate and spinal cord were discovered in a different location.

“This is not a natural death,” said Crump. “This represents a young man who was killed.”

Attorney Carlos Moore, who is serving as co-counsel, said he believed Carter was targeted by a “white supremacist, a lynch mob.”

MBI and the SCSD said they are executing search warrants and tracking leads - like someone using Carter’s credit card after his death, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Both organizations said they continue to ask for public assistance to answer questions and shed light on Carter’s final days and death.

Anyone with any information is asked to submit a tip to mbitips@dps.ms.gov or to contact the Smith County Sheriff’s Department.

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