Family and community question suicide ruling in death of Black teen found hanged in Charlotte

The death of 16-year-old Juliana Nzita, found hanged near a Charlotte church, was ruled a suicide in days, but her family and experts are raising serious questions.
The death of a 16-year-old girl found hanged near a north Charlotte church is drawing intense scrutiny, as her family, community members and outside experts question how quickly authorities closed the case.
According to a Charlotte Observer investigation, Juliana Umba Nzita was discovered in early May by a man walking his dog through a churchyard, held up by a ratchet strap around her neck, her feet resting on the ground near a small toddler-size chair.
Within three days, the medical examiner ruled her death a suicide, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police closed the case four days after that, without performing an autopsy, locating her cellphone, or interviewing the man who found her body.
The Observer reported that Juliana, whose family emigrated from the Congo, was active in her church and described by relatives as gentle and warm, though an uncle said she had struggled with her mental health and severe bullying.
Still, several relatives have openly doubted the suicide determination. Her uncle Mathy Nzita told the outlet the scenario seemed logistically implausible, questioning why police wouldn’t conduct an autopsy after finding a teenage girl hanging in public. “This is the U.S. This is not a third-world country,” he said.
Kenneth Tolbert, who discovered the body, echoed those doubts to the Observer, saying he couldn’t understand how Juliana could have reached the tree limb, which he couldn’t reach himself at 5-foot-9. He argued that had she been “a white girl found hanging at a Myers Park church,” the response would have been swift and national.
As reported by the Observer, four criminal justice and mental health experts described the circumstances as unusual, noting that public hangings are exceedingly rare among teenage girls and, given the South’s history, among Black people.
CMPD disputed that framing, maintaining a thorough examination revealed no defensive wounds, no signs of assault and no evidence of foul play, and cautioned against drawing conclusions without full information.
The family has since commissioned an independent autopsy, including DNA analysis, with civil rights attorney Jill Collen Jefferson assisting. City council members have also criticized the department’s lack of transparency, with Councilman JD Mazuera Arias calling the situation “unacceptable” and “grotesque.”
This is a sensitive topic. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988.
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