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Danye Jones was found on October 17 in a wooded area of St. Louis County, police said. His mother, Melissa McKinnies, said members of her family found her hanging from a bed sheet of a tree behind their house.
By the time the police arrived at the scene, the victim was lying on the ground, said St. Louis County Police spokesman Shawn McGuire on Thursday.
There has been no evidence of trauma or foul play, and detectives are investigating his death as a suicide after talking with several relatives and friends, he said.
Jones' mother stated that her son was not suicidal and she thinks he was killed. He was planning to start a real estate business and had a lot to look forward to, McKinnies said at a press conference Thursday.
"He did not do that, he would not do that, a mother knows her son, a mother knows her child," McKinnies said of suicide reports. "He had a lot to live on."
The leaves used in the hanging did not come from the family home and Jones was not able to tie the kind of advanced knots on the sheet, she said. She said that someone had made threats against his son and that he had a bruise on his face before his death. She did not specify who had threatened her or provided details about the bruise.
"They're watching my house, and when my husband and son get near the car, they'll leave," she said.
She said the threats were related to her involvement in the demonstrations in Ferguson. She refused to provide additional details on how she determined that or who was behind them.
Police ask for more information
Authorities said the investigation would remain active.
"Until the forensic report is complete, we will take information from anyone else who may know more about this case," McGuire said.
A medical examiner has done a physical examination and an autopsy and will publish a final report. The toxicological results will take about six weeks, officials said.
Pierre Meilhan from CNN contributed to this report.
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