Rasheem Carter, 25, told his mom that he was being chased by white men who were hurling racial slurs, but local authorities said they had "no reason" to suspect foul play in the man's death. Rasheem was reported missing on Oct. 2. The young man's mother said he wanted the police to help him. He frantically called his mother, saying that white men in three trucks were chasing him. Carter's family never heard from him again.

Via NBC News:

On Nov. 2, authorities said they found his remains in a wooded area south of Taylorsville, Mississippi. In a statement on Facebook a day later, the Smith County Sheriff's Department said it had "no reason to believe foul play was involved" though the case was under investigation.

On Monday, Carter's loved ones and their attorney Ben Crump slammed local authorities for stonewalling them for more than four months and for the initial determination, saying they believe Carter was the victim of a brutal hate crime.

"This was a nefarious act. This was an evil act," Crump said at a news conference. "Somebody murdered Rasheem Carter, and we cannot let them get away with this."

What in the hell happened to this young man?

Crump told reporters that he believes Carter's head was severed from his body and that his spinal cord was found in another location away from his head.

"There is nothing natural about this. It screams out for justice," Crump said. "What we have is a Mississippi lynching."

Carter's front teeth were missing from the top and bottom rows, which Carter's family said could indicate that he was assaulted before he died.

It's unclear what prompted authorities to search the wooded area or what led them to determine initially that foul play was not suspected. The Smith County Sheriff's Department did not reply to requests for comment.

There is a GoFundMe donation page that was created "to retain legal counsel, a private investigator, and an independent autopsy so that we may have a fair chance at attaining justice for Rasheem."

I'm not sure why Rasheem Carter's death hasn't gotten more attention in the media until now.