Carolyn Bryant Donham, whose accusation led to the brutal lynching of Emmett Till, has passed away in Louisiana, according to the coroner’s office
Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who falsely accused 14-year-old Emmett Till of harassment in 1955, leading to his lynching, has died at 88, as confirmed by the Calcasieu Parish coroner’s office. Till, an African American teenager, was beaten and shot to death by two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, who were later acquitted by an all-white jury. Bryant, who later changed her name to Carolyn Donham, accused Till of grabbing and threatening her, which was later revealed as a false claim. In 2018, the Department of Justice reopened the case but closed it in December 2021, stating there was insufficient evidence to prove that Donham had lied. In August 2022, a grand jury in Mississippi declined to indict her on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter. The murder of Emmett Till is a tragic reminder of the racial injustice and violence that has plagued the United States for centuries.