The body of a Black teen boy, Quawan “Bobby” Charles, was found in a sugarcane field in rural Louisiana, 3 days after the 15-year old was reported missing. Pictures surfaced online showing the boy’s disfigured body and drew immediate comparisons to the death of Emmett Till- a Black 14-year-old boy killed in 1955.
Iberia Parish Deputies informed the family that Quawan’s death was ruled a drowning based on a preliminary autopsy report describing the condition of the body as having “hyper-inflated lungs”. The family rejected the ruling, citing the mutilated condition of the body, which reports detailed were due to “aquatic animal activity”. Quawan’s cousin, Celina Charles, later stated the body indicated “he had been tortured” while the family’s lawyer, Ronald Haley Jr., also refuted the ruling, describing the waters where Charles was found as incredibly shallow.
A GoFundMe campaign was later organized to support the family’s funeral expenses and drew attention to the photo of the boy’s mutilated face. Support for the family grew as people on social media reacted to the eerie similarity of the photo of Emmett Till’s body.
I won’t repost the photos but Quawan Charles, a Louisiana 15 year boy was lynched. His autopsy looks similar to Emmett Till.
He went missing Oct 30 & was found 3 Days later. This needs the full coverage of the media.
Rest Easy Quawan🖤 #QuawanCharles
— Gabriella⚖️ (@gabriell_ahh) November 8, 2020
Charles’ parents filed a report with the Baldwin Police Department on October 30th after they were unable to find him but it’s unclear what measures the department took afterwards to locate Quawan. Many have cited the lack of news and the absence of an amber alert, as an indication that circumstances around his death is suspicious.
The family, the Louisiana branch of NAACP and ACLU have called for an independent investigation, citing concerns of a possible racially-motivated murder after reports claimed he was last seen in a car with an unknown white family. The Police Department is investigating the “suspicious circumstances” of Charles’ death but has declined to release further details.
“… They hadn’t received an Amber Alert or a media request from police during the entire time Quawan was missing. In fact, the only information they had received from BPD about the case was after Quawan’s body had been found.”https://t.co/SK1vo5zMwS
— Savvy☭🐬 (@sleepisocialist) November 11, 2020
His death follows the suspicious drowning of Elijah Witherspoon in South Carolina and adds to the growing list of Black victims whose deaths have yet to bring justice.