A Wisconsin family is seeking answers after a man was found dead hanging from a tree at a local golf course last month.

What happened to Tory Medley?

Tory Medley, a 39-year-old Black man, was found hanging from a tree at Brookfield Hills Golf Course on Nov. 13, according to Fox 6 Milwaukee. The police investigated the incident and determined that Medley had reportedly died by suicide, with no additional evidence to support other claims.

“At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication of foul play in Mr. Medley’s death. Other than injuries caused by asphyxiation, there were no other obvious signs of trauma to his body, and there is no evidence at the scene suggesting that any other individuals were present at the time of his death. We are also aware that Mr. Medley was experiencing mental health challenges in the days prior to his death,” the City of Brookfield Police Department said in a Nov. 23 news release.

Despite police claims about what happened, Tory’s family believes a different story.

Medley’s sister speaks out about his death and the police’s investigation

“On November 13th, life as my family knew it changed forever. My baby brother, Torrance “Tory” Medley, was found dead in Brookfield, Wisconsin — hanging from a tree on a golf course in this exclusive enclave,” Medley’s sister, Shena Medley, said in a Nov. 30 Facebook post.

She continued, “His death was immediately labeled a “possible suicide” by the Brookfield Police Department, before critical questions about how he got there and what truly happened were fully examined. Our family has been pushing for a thorough, transparent investigation from the start.”

Shena also shared with Fox 6 Milwaukee the close relationship she had with her brother, and that his death is one of the hardest things she has had to face.

“Tory was my little brother, and from the day he came home I looked out for him,” said explained. “This is going to be the hardest trip I will ever have to make, to go home to lay him to rest.”

What is the family’s attorney and local NAACP chapters saying?

The Medley family has since hired an attorney and is working alongside the Milwaukee and Waukesha NAACP chapters to assist in their call for justice in Tory’s death.

“We all know the negative relationship that Black men have with lynching in our country, and this is a big deal,” William Sulton, the family’s attorney, told the outlet.

Montre Moore with the Waukesha chapter echoed similar sentiments, stating that the organization is dedicated to helping during this time.

“These types of circumstances, it’s extraordinarily unusual. And again, with that being the case, we want to make sure the communication is there, the respect is there,” Moore said.

Sulton call’s out the chief of police during probe

On the day Tory was found, the City of Brookfield Police Department doubled down on their belief that Tory died by suicide.

“The preliminary investigation is indicating that the individual died by suicide. We have no information at this point to indicate a crime was involved,” the department said in a statement obtained by Fox 6 Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, Sulton believes the police were quick to call Tory’s death a suicide while the investigation is ongoing.

“The chief of police arrived at a conclusion on a death where they haven’t actually completed their investigation and won’t talk to the family about it,” he said.

The latest update in the probe is that the police are communicating with a family member and reviewing any surveillance footage that could be helpful to the case.

Tory Medley

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