Authorities are investigating the death of a Ferguson protester’s son as a suicide, although a message on social media posted by his mother has sparked assertions that it was a lynching.

Melissa McKinnies, who was active in the St. Louis suburb after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, posted the Facebook message, saying “They lynched my baby.”

The message, which Facebook later removed, began trending on social media sites such as Twitter and Reddit, causing people online and in the community to press officials for more answers about the death of 24-year-old Danye Jones. His body was found Oct. 17 near the north St. Louis County home he and his mother shared.

St. Louis County police spokesman Shawn McGuire said Wednesday that Jones’ body was found in a wooded area behind the home. A police report lists “suicide” as the nature of the investigation.

The medical examiner’s determination of the cause of death could take several weeks. Administrator Suzanne McCune said the office doesn’t issue preliminary findings.

McKinnies does not have a listed phone number. But the Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading St. Louis activist who has met with McKinnies several times since her son’s death, confirmed McKinnies’ Facebook posting. Gray said it was Facebook, not McKinnies, who took it down…...More Here