Relative of Emmett Till Files Federal Lawsuit to Compel Arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham for Role in His Death

A relative of Emmett Till has filed a federal lawsuit against Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks in an effort to compel him to serve an arrest warrant from 1955 on Carolyn Bryant Donham for her role in the death of Till. Last year, a five-member search group, including members of Till’s family, found an unserved 1955 arrest warrant for Bryant at the Leflore County courthouse.

The warrant was issued in 1955, shortly after Till, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago, was visiting family in Mississippi when he had his fateful encounter with then-20-year-old Carolyn Bryant. The torture and killing of Till in the Mississippi Delta became a catalyst for the civil rights movement after his mother insisted on an open-casket funeral in Chicago and Jet magazine published photos of his mutilated body.

The lawsuit seeks to compel Banks to serve the warrant and bring justice to the Till family. The suit also seeks to bring attention to the fact that the 1955 warrant was never served and that Bryant was never held accountable for her role in Till’s death.

The Till family is hopeful that the lawsuit will bring closure to the case and that justice will be served. The family is also hopeful that the lawsuit will bring attention to the fact that Till’s death was a tragedy that should never have happened and that it will help to ensure that similar tragedies never happen again.