Hanged Teen’s Kin to Meet With Reno

The mother and brother of a black Mississippi teenager found hanged will meet with lawmakers and Atty. Gen. Janet Reno today, officials said. Raynard Johnson, 17, was found hanging from a pecan tree a few yards from the front door of his rural home June 16. Officials said autopsy findings were consistent with suicide, but Johnson’s family questioned the ruling and called on the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others to demand a federal investigation. Jackson has said he believes there are suspects in the case, although officials have refused to confirm or deny that. He said many things point to a racially motivated killing, including the fact that Johnson and his brother had been friends with two 17-year-old white girls.