Emmett Till’s cousin Patricia Sterling is suing a Mississippi sheriff hoping that the federal lawsuit will lead to the arrest of the woman who is said to be responsible for his kidnapping and lynching. According to reports, Till’s family discovered an arrest warrant for a woman named Carolyn Bryant in 1955 for her involvement in the then-14-year-old’s murder.
As you may recall, Bryant, who has since remarried and is now known as Carolyn Bryant Donham, accused Till of harassment and allegedly making “improper advances” to her while she was working at her family’s store in Money, Mississippi. A few days later, her relatives abducted Till before brutally beating him and disposing of his body in a nearby river.
NEW: Emmett Till's relative, Patricia Sterling, has filed a lawsuit for the arrest of the white woman whose false allegations resulted in the 14 y/o Black boy’s kidnapping, torture & murder nearly 70 yrs ago in the US. The white woman, Carolyn Bryant, is now 89 y/o, living life. pic.twitter.com/agihuEfgfb
— Nadine White. (@Nadine_Writes) February 11, 2023
In court papers filed on Friday, Sterling’s attorney, Trent Walker, announced that they are looking to take action against Bryant in the hopes of her arrest. “But for Carolyn Bryant falsely claiming to her husband that Emmett Till assaulted her Emmett would not have been murdered,” he said.
“It was Carolyn Bryant’s lie that sent Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam into a rage, which resulted in the mutilation of Emmett Till’s body into (an) unrecognizable condition.”
According to the Daily Mail, Bryant has since relocated to Kentucky, though it remains unclear whether the 88-year-old will still face a possible arrest as of yet.
An arrest warrant was made public in 1955, but the Leflore County Sheriff at the time said boldly said that he didn’t want to “bother” Bryant since she was a mother raising two children.
This search warrant, dated August 29, 1955, was never executed for Carolyn Bryant for the kidnapping of Emmett Till. The warrant was discovered in June of 2022 by a group of researchers in the basement of the Leflore County Courthouse. Carolyn Bryant Donham is now 88 years old. pic.twitter.com/Mm82TCvZin
— Melissa (@Proudmimi12) February 12, 2023
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What’s more shocking is that a few weeks after Till’s death, her husband Roy Bryant and half-brother J.W. Milam appeared in court over Till’s murder but were shockingly acquitted by the all-white jury, sparking outrage among Black people.
In an interview a couple of months after, they went on to admit to the crime to Look magazine. The last time the public had heard about the U.S. Justice Department speaking on the Till case was in December 2021 when it was said that there were no plans to file any charges against anyone who may have been associated with the brutal murder of the teenager.