The Death of Tripp Brazeale: A Cover-up for a Child Killer

**FORREST CITY, Arkansas** — The body of 15-year-old Tripp Brazeale was found hanging from a rope in the woods 3/4 of a mile from where he was last seen alive. Two autopsies have ruled his death "undetermined." St. Francis County Sheriff's Office provided one explanation: a suicide by ligature.

But the facts tell a different story. And the questions they raise are the ones that police should be answering not covering up.

Trail through the wooded area where Tripp was murdered.

The Pursuit

The timeline is clear, and it doesn't match the suicide narrative.

November 4, 2024. Early morning. Tripp Brazeale was riding a four-wheeler with family members and a friend near Crow Creek in Forrest City, Arkansas.

According to St. Francis County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Alvin Merle Bynum and Sgt. David Kinney were in the area investigating a missing persons case when they heard ATVs in the distance.

Sheriff's account of what happened next is where the story begins to fracture.

"Deputy Bynum & Sgt Kinney stopped what they were doing & went to locate the ATVs," the sheriff's office stated. "Sgt. Kinney stopped at least one of the riders when Deputy Bynum attempted to get Tripp to stop."

So far, the official story: A teenage boy on an ATV. A missing persons report. Deputies investigate. No indication of foul play or violent pursuit.

Then, on November 5, 2024, everything changed.

That morning at 12:42 AM, the sheriff's office received a call from Jennifer Brazeale, Tripp's mother. Her son hadn't come home. He was missing.

Two days later, on November 7, 2024, Tripp's body was found. He was hanging from a rope in the woods. About 3/4 of a mile from where he was last seen alive.

The official timeline left something unspoken: What happened between 12:42 AM on November 4 and the time of Tripp's death?

The Body

The physical evidence doesn't support the suicide narrative.

Tripp was found hanging by a rope. That's undisputed. The location: in the woods, about 3/4 mile from where he was last seen. The position: hanging from a branch, a rope tied into a noose.

What the body doesn't show is also significant.

No signs of a struggle were documented in the sheriff's office report. No scratches. No cuts on his hands. No defensive wounds. No evidence that he fought anyone.

Instead, what the official report notes: Tripp's shoes and phone were found scattered. His four-wheeler was abandoned nearby. He was lying in the brush.

The first autopsy, conducted by the Arkansas State Medical Examiner's office and listed as "suicide by ligature," noted no injuries from a defensive struggle. But that conclusion came with a qualifier: the medical examiner couldn't rule out homicide.

A second independent autopsy, conducted later, also ruled the death "undetermined."

Neither autopsy found evidence that Tripp shot himself. Neither found evidence that he fought anyone.
The official reports conflict with the families story that Tripp had scratches and cuts on his arms and legs, but not on his feet after running through the woods barefooted. This is highly suspicious and leaves more questions than answers. Certainly suggest a struggle took place before his death. The shoes were found near the ATV not his body. In addition the path between the 2 locations was littered with broken glass jagged rocks and other forest debris. This does not line up with feet having no wounds.
His phone and other personal items were also found between where he abandoned his ATV and where his body was found.

The Body Camera

This is where the official story most dramatically contradicts itself.

Deputy Bynum's body cam was ON throughout the entire pursuit. Once Tripp jumps off the 4 wheeler & jumps the fence, the deputy's body camera is suddenly turned OFF, and it remains off for 49 minutes.

Deputy Bynum's body cam is suddenly turned back ON once the truck & trailer arrive to transport the 4 wheeler to the Sheriff's Dept. He stated he yelled for Tripp once he ran into the woods, but he just never came back out.
During this 49 minutes of missing time, Tripp made a phone call.

Tripp's phone found in the woods near his ATV

The Phone Calls

The official story says Tripp called his mother twice. The family says he called once.

According to the sheriff's office, Tripp called his mother Jennifer Brazeale twice on November 4. The first call was at 9:46 AM. The second was at 11:56 AM.

The message they say Tripp left: "If they get me, they will kill me."

Jennifer Brazeale has told multiple outlets the same thing. In an interview with KATV, she said Tripp told her, "If they get me, they will kill me."

There's no record of a second call in the sheriff's office timeline. No phone records. No witness testimony to a second call.

Personal items dropped by Tripp in the pursuit

The Official Narrative

The story St. Francis County Sheriff's Office has constructed has three elements:

1. A missing teen who expressed fear of being killed by police

2. A “suicide” by hanging that happened after that fear was expressed

3. A deputy who did not follow proper procedures by de-activating his body camera

4. A body found in a position that makes suicide very questionable

Each of these elements, when examined closely, breaks down.

The fear narrative: Tripp’s mother has repeatedly emphasized that Tripp told her he was afraid police would kill him, if they ever caught him. He ran, called for help; the officer pursued, turned off his body cam intentionally, Tripp died

The suicide narrative: The first autopsy listed "suicide by ligature" before the investigation was complete. The medical examiner's own documentation included a clarification: the cause "could not be determined with certainty." But that nuanced finding was presented as a definitive finding of suicide in public statements and media reports.

The Autopsy Contradiction

Two independent autopsies. Two different conclusions.

The first autopsy, by the Arkansas State Medical Examiner, listed the cause of death as "suicide by ligature" and noted the manner of death as "hanging." But the document also stated that the medical examiner couldn't rule out homicide — an admission that suicide was not the only possibility.

A second independent autopsy, the details of which have not been publicly disclosed, reportedly ruled the death "undetermined" entirely.

When two independent medical examinations reach different conclusions about a death, that raises questions. If the first autopsy found evidence of hanging but couldn't rule out homicide, and the second autopsy couldn't determine the cause at all, then homicide remains in play as a possibility that was never excluded.

The sheriff's office selected the first autopsy's finding and presented it as fact. They did not acknowledge the independent autopsy. They did not explain the discrepancy.

Teams search the wooded area where Tripp was last seen.

What Remains Unknown

Two months later, here's what we know and what we don't know:

What we know:

• Tripp called his mother at least once on November 4
• His body was found hanging from a rope in the woods on November 7
• Deputy Alvin Merle Bynum was fired on November 8 for de-activating his body camera
• St. Francis County Sheriff's Office is investigating
• Family has hired George Floyd's attorneys
• First autopsy listed "suicide by ligature" but noted homicide couldn't be ruled out
• Second autopsy reportedly ruled death "undetermined"

What we don't know:

• What happened between 12:42 AM on November 4 and the time of Tripp's death
• Why Bynum's body camera was de-activated until Tripp's ATV was being impounded
• Whether the incident that led to Tripp's death would have been captured on video
• The complete findings of the second autopsy
• Whether the Arkansas State Police will take over the investigation
• Why the sheriff's office has not released the body camera footage that could answer the most critical question

The absence of body camera footage is the single most damning piece of evidence in this case. If Bynum was approaching Tripp on foot and the encounter turned violent or ended in his death, a body camera would show exactly what happened. The sheriff's office has refused to release it, or it actually in fact does not exist.

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The Family's Fight

Jennifer Brazeale has been clear about what she believes happened.

She says Tripp called her once on November 4. She says his voice sounded normal. She says he told her he was coming home from the ATV ride.

She has told multiple outlets that she believes her son didn't take his own life.

"I'm not buying it," she told WREG TV. "I know my child. My son would never do that to me or to his family. If Tripp wanted to kill himself, he would not have called me."

The family has retained Devon Jacob and Benjamin Crump, the same attorneys who represented George Floyd's family in his wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis. This suggests they're prepared for a long fight.

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The Pattern

The Tripp Brazeale case fits into a pattern that activists and families of color have long criticized: police narratives that protect their own officers at the expense of truth.

What we're seeing in Arkansas is:

• A department that admits its body camera was de-activated
• Medical findings that contradict each other
• An investigation that has been closed without justice
• A family that's forced to hire outside attorneys to get answers

Jennifer Brazeale fights daily to have her son's case reopened. Gil Brazeale, Tripp's father, is running for sheriff and has made body cameras a campaign issue in his current campaign.

If Tripp was "afraid they'd kill him" and then was found dead in the woods under circumstances that make suicide appear forced, that requires investigation. Not a press release. Not a statement. A real investigation.

Trey Bynum Deputy photo

What This Case Demands

The questions St. Francis County Sheriff's Office can't or won't answer are the ones that matter:

• If body camera footage exist from those 49 minutes lets see it. Prove what happened during a potential encounter between Bynum and Tripp. If Bynum never found him in the woods, show it. If Bynum was aggressive and the encounter turned violent, show that too.
• Release the complete findings of the second autopsy. Don't selectively quote the first one.
• Explain the timeline discrepancy between November 4 and November 7. What happened in those 65 hours? Who saw Tripp between 12:42 AM and whenever he was last seen alive?
• Provide evidence that Tripp was never found in the woods.

The Arkansas State Police took over the investigation in December 2024. They have access to more resources and independent investigators than the sheriff's office. What they find could answer the questions St. Francis County has refused to answer for nearly three months.

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What We Know About a Boy We Never Got to Know

Tripp Brazeale was 15 years old. He had his entire life ahead of him. His mother says he wanted his life to include his mother. His father says he was looking forward to his 16th birthday in December.

He had dreams. He had plans. He had a future.

All of that was taken.

Jennifer Brazeale told KATV that Tripp "loved to do everything outdoors." She described him as someone who would go fishing or hunting, who loved his four-wheeler, who was "just a good ol' country boy."

Whatever happened to Tripp Brazeale in those woods, he deserved better than the investigation he's received. He deserved to have his death examined thoroughly. He deserved for his family to get answers, not press releases. He deserved for the truth, whatever it is.

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The Arkansas State Police and St. Francis County Sheriff's Office say the investigation is over. Jennifer Brazeale says she'll keep fighting until she gets answers. Gil Brazeale is running for sheriff.

One way or another, the Tripp Brazeale case will likely fade from public attention — unless the family forces it back into the light.

That would be the real tragedy.

That is what the sheriff's office wants.