Roanoke Rapids police: Man found dead in apparent hanging; investigation remains open

Roanoke Rapids police said a 38-year-old man was found dead Friday in an apparent hanging that drew attention in the community and on social media.

2026-08-21

Police Chief Lawrence Wiggins said Demetrius Fleming was already dead when emergency crews arrived. He was found at a home on Roanoke Avenue, connected to a ligature.

"We're treating this as an open, equivocal death investigation. The Roanoke Rapids Police Department is committed to finding the facts and reporting them," Wiggins said. "This investigation is in its infancy, and it is important to neither make nor perpetuate assumptions as facts. The evidence will provide the conclusion; anything else will create more confusion."

Police did not say what type of ligature was involved.

The nature of the death has drawn significant attention in the community and speculation spread about what happened on social media. In downtown Raleigh last weekend, another man was found hanging from a tree. That man also died, and investigators ruled his death a suicide.

"We are not working from any strict assumption," Wiggins said. "Everything is on the table."

Wiggins extended his condolences to Fleming's family. The chief said the 911 call, which reported an attempted suicide, came from someone who was not at the scene but was close to Fleming.

"There are details that, at this point, we're not going to share about his personal life," Wiggins said. "I think it's important for us to get as much evidence and then weigh what we know about Mr. Fleming in light of the evidence we have rather than sit here and say things that may or may not sway people's perception of what occurred."