As the family of Rasheem Carter and their lawyer, Ben Crump, continue to seek justice for what they believe was the gruesome killing of a 25-year-old Black man in Mississippi, his mother, Tiffany Carter, has offered more information about the day Rasheem went missing. On Wednesday (March 15), Tiffany shared a picture of Rasheem, captured by a trail camera on October 2, 2022. In the image, he was shirtless while carrying what appeared to be a large branch in a wooded area. To his mother, the photo revealed that “something was wrong.” “I really believe [Rasheem] was chased there,” she told INSIDER. “You could see there are bruises on him. When I seen that picture, I [knew] my son was somewhere struggling, somewhere running for his life.”

The picture, timestamped at 4:32 p.m., was given to Rasheem’s family by investigators for verification purposes just a week before his remains were found, which was also 300 yards from where the photo was taken. “The picture showed something [was] not right,” Tiffany continued. “Something transpired.” When Rasheem’s cousin, Tarsha Clark, saw the image, she believed her family member was trying to escape danger. “I think it was a struggle, and he was trying to protect himself. He was hiding,” Clark stated. Crump and Rasheem’s family believe that his passing was not “a natural death” but instead “a young man who was killed.” Tiffany filed a missing persons report for Rasheem the day after he reportedly called and informed her that white men in trucks were chasing him. Rasheem attempted to get help from the Taylorsville Police Department twice. However, it was the Laurel Police Department that the family turned to for help after he disappeared.

In November 2022, parts of Rasheem’s body were discovered in a wooded area south of Taylorsville. An independent autopsy later revealed that the young man’s head was “severed” from his body. His spinal cord was also recovered in a different location. Crump informed the public in a press conference on Monday (March 13) that other parts of the 25-year-old victim are still missing. While Smith County authorities initially believed foul play was not involved due to the evidence presented at the time, they now admit they haven’t ruled it out just yet. Crump has requested that the U.S. Department of Justice open a federal investigation into Rasheem’s death.