Episode description

August 22, 1992. Brandon, Mississippi. While driving his girlfriend home, 18-year old Andre Jones is stopped at a police sobriety checkpoint and is arrested on a number of charges after his pick-up truck is determined to be stolen. Andre is transferred to the Simpson County Jail, but over 19 hours after his arrival, he is found hanging by one of his own shoelaces in a holding cell’s shower stall and the authorities rule his death to be a suicide. However, since Andre’s mother and stepfather were prominent black activists in the community, they believe he was the victim of a racially motivated murder and cover-up. A federal investigation is launched to explore a number of suspicious hanging deaths which took place in various Mississippi jails during this time period, but no conclusive evidence is found to overturn Andre’s suicide ruling. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic and controversial death of Andre Jones.

Additional Reading:

https://unsolved.com/gallery/andre-jones/

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Andre_Jones

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/21/us/death-in-a-jailhouse-the-ruling-a-suicide-the-fear-a-lynching.html?pagewanted=all

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1993-02-21-9301100843-story.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-04-05-9304060179-story.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ms-supreme-court/1045828.html

https://www.newspapers.com/image/182715053/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/182715790/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/712094224/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/238019459

https://www.newspapers.com/image/238019813/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/183898010/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/182702220/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/182703121/

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The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.