Another Black Child Hanging From A Tree? — Why Juliana Nzita’s Death Is Stirring Fears Of A Modern-Day Lynching
A community in Charlotte, N.C. is demanding answers after Juliana Nzita was found hanging from a tree 11 days after she disappeared. The post Another Black Child Hanging From A Tree? — Why Juliana Nzita’s Death Is Stirring Fears Of A Modern-Day Lynching appeared first on MadameNoire.
Black News 
The gruesome discovery of 16-year-old Juliana Nzita’s lifeless body hanging from a tree on the property of the United House of Prayer for All People Church in Charlotte, N.C., on May 8, has left a community heartbroken and forced us all to revisit America’s shameful past.
Juliana, who recently migrated to North Carolina from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and lived with her family, was reported missing on April 28, according to The North Carolina Beat, an independent local news outlet. For nearly two weeks, loved ones and supporters searched for her while online posts and tips spread across social media.
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Sadly, the search ended in tragedy on May 8, when Kenneth “Mufasa” Tolbert, a volunteer with Brothers Helping Brothers, found Juliana’s corpse hanging from a tree on the church’s property while walking his dog. According to accounts of the discovery reported by The North Carolina Beat, Tolbert alerted church personnel and then contacted authorities.
“I alerted nearby church members first, then police, and later continued on because I was on my way to the courthouse and under a filing deadline,” he told The North Carolina Beat.
Additionally, he provided the outlet with disturbing video footage taken right after finding the corpse, which showed a small plastic blue chair under a tree with a rope hanging above it and Juliana’s feet grazing the ground. In the video, a church member mentioned checking the same area the previous day, but “didn’t see anything.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers responded to the scene, and later, a police report officially ruled Juliana’s death a suicide, stating, “On 05/08/2026 at 12:40 p.m., the listed victim was pronounced deceased at this location. This occurred in the 4200 block of West Sugar Creek Road.”
The post Another Black Child Hanging From A Tree? — Why Juliana Nzita’s Death Is Stirring Fears Of A Modern-Day Lynching appeared first on MadameNoire.
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