Black father of nine found hanging in North Carolina as police say ‘everything is on the table’

Authorities have not determined a manner of death for Demetrius Fleming, 38, and are cautioning against speculation as the investigation continues.

Behind an investigation that has consumed local conversation is a man whose family remembers him primarily for music, faith and his children.

North Carolina man Demetrius Eugene Fleming, 38, was found dead Friday at a home on Roanoke Avenue in Roanoke Rapids, from a hanging, WRAL reported. Police Chief Lawrence Wiggins said Fleming had already died when emergency crews arrived. Investigators have not disclosed what type of ligature was used.

Wiggins has been deliberate about how the department characterizes the case, describing it as an open and equivocal death investigation, meaning no manner of death has been determined or excluded.

“We are not working from any strict assumption,” he told WRAL. “Everything is on the table.” He cautioned against treating early speculation as established fact, noting the investigation remains in its infancy and that evidence, rather than conjecture, will produce the conclusion.

The chief said the 911 call reporting an attempted suicide came from someone not present at the scene but close to Fleming. He declined to discuss details of Fleming’s personal life, explaining that the department prefers to gather evidence before offering anything that might shape public perception prematurely.

That caution matters in a community where a Black man found hanging carries historical weight no official statement erases, and where families have too often watched similar cases receive brief examination before closure. WRAL noted that a separate hanging death in downtown Raleigh last weekend was ruled a suicide.

Fleming’s obituary offers a fuller picture of the person at the center of it. Born in Roanoke Rapids in 1988, he graduated from Weldon High School in 2006 and attended Chowan University, where his musicianship left an impression on those who heard him play. Music remained central to his life, particularly within his church.

He was the father of nine children and, according to his family, spoke about them constantly and with visible pride. He is survived by his wife, Doresha Ayers-Fleming, his parents Kim and Richard Fleming, and seven siblings who remember his warmth. Services will be held at H D Pope Funeral Homes, with the family requesting donations to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.