Demetrius Eugene Fleming, a 38-year-old Black man, was found deceased and connected to a ligature at 1926 Roanoke Avenue in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, on the morning of August 22, 2026. Police responded to a 911 call reporting an attempted suicide shortly after 6:45 AM. The caller was described as someone close to the victim who was not at the scene when the call was made. WNCT reported Fleming was found hanging from a tree. Halifax County EMS and the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department responded but Fleming was already deceased. It is unclear how long he had been dead before being found. Chief Lawrence Wiggins declined to describe the type of ligature, calling it a critical fact in the investigation. His death came exactly one week after a Black man was found hanging from a tree in downtown Raleigh during the CaribMask Caribbean Festival.

Open equivocal death investigation. Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Lawrence Wiggins said investigators are not working from any assumption about how Fleming died. When asked whether another person was involved, he said nothing is being ruled in or out. An autopsy is pending to determine whether Fleming had other injuries. The chief said he expects more information by Monday. Investigators plan to pursue video from cameras at surrounding businesses.