Despite Emmett Till being murdered nearly 70 years ago, activists and family members still seek arrests for his death. With the unearthing of an old arrest warrant, renewed justice efforts are underway.
A team of several volunteers, including two cousins of Till’s, searched the basement of Leflore County Courthouse recently and came across an arrest warrant for Carolyn Bryant Donham, identified on the document as Mrs. Roy Bryant. The warrant was dated August 29th, 1955.
Donham is the woman who alleged Till whistled at her while he was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, on August 24th, 1955. Several nights later, Donham’s then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, went looking for Till, took him from his great-uncle’s home, and brutally murdered him.
Bryant and Milam were acquitted of murder but later admitted to the killing in an interview with Look magazine. The story was published in January 1956. Donham testified during the trial that Till grabbed her and made a lewd comment. Both men, along with Donham, were named in the same warrant, yet authorities did not pursue any further arrests after the acquittal.
Donham is now in her 80s and is the last surviving person accused of Till’s murder. In 2007, during an interview with research scholar Timothy Tyson, She confessed that she lied about the encounter with Till. Now, the family demands that police serve Donham with the search warrant.
“Serve it and charge her,” said Teri Watts, one of the cousins who participated in the courthouse search.
After discovering the original warrant, it was presented to District Attorney DeWayne Richardson and the Department of Justice. However, the family says they have not responded.
Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said he would present a copy of the warrant and present it to the DA for their opinion. If they allow him to serve it, Banks says he will coordinate with law enforcement where Donham currently lives.
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