The investigation into the 1986 death of 19-year-old Keith Warren has been reopened. Warren was found hanging from a tree near his Silver Spring home on July 31, 1986. His death was initially ruled a suicide, but his family has long challenged that finding, citing inconsistencies in the case and concerns that he may have been the victim of a lynching.
According to Montgomery County Police, “The Montgomery County Department of Police was recently notified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland of the reclassification of the cause of death for Keith Warren. Pursuant to the Katherine Morris Death Reclassification Act, and following that notification, Montgomery County Department of Police is proceeding forward in compliance with our statutory obligations.”
Warren’s family says they were not permitted to see his body until after embalming, and have questioned the position in which he was found. Years of advocacy led to the exhumation of his body in 1994, when a second autopsy reportedly revealed high levels of a chemical associated with antifreeze, raising the possibility that he may have been poisoned prior to being hanged…