Emmett Till's family vows to continue fight for justice, despite recently closed investigation

Ollie Gordon, the cousin of Emmett Till, had hoped a renewed investigation into the Black teenager's 1955 lynching in Mississippi would clear his name once and for all. 

In a disappointing move for Gordon and Till's family, however, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday it would close that investigation due to insufficient evidence that Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman who accused Till of grabbing and whistling at her, lied to the FBI.

"It leaves a hole in our hearts because we would like to see justice for him," Gordon said in an interview with Peter Armstrong, host of CBC Radio's Day 6.

The Justice Department returned to the case after a 2017 book by Timothy B. Tyson quoted his 2008 interview with her in which Donham suggested she was not truthful in her testimony about what happened between her and Till.

Donham told the FBI she had never recanted her accusations, and investigators said recordings and transcripts of that interview could not be reproduced.

In a statement, the Justice Department said its decision to end the investigation "does not take the position that the state court testimony the woman gave in 1955 was truthful or accurate." 

It also states that there remains considerable doubt surrounding Donham's account of the events from those who were with Till at the time of his death, including the account of a living witness.

Gordon, whose family was notified the investigation would be closed before officials publicly announced the decision, said she understands the reasons why.

She had hoped, however, it would bring new information to light and "restore [Till's] credibility and his character because they ... tried to paint him as a monster in a sense."

"We as a family, we want to know the truth," said Gordon. "We want to know what really happened that would cause Emmett's life to be taken in the most brutal, ugly way that it was."

'A stain on American history'

Till, a Chicago teen who was visiting family in Mississippi, was kidnapped on Aug. 28, 1955 and killed by two white men following Donham's allegation that he touched her inappropriately. His body was later found sunken in the Tallahatchie River.

Roy Bryant, Donham's then-husband, and his half-brother J.W. Milan, were arrested and charged with murder for killing Till. Both were acquitted by an all-white jury the following month.

Months later, the pair admitted to the killing in a paid magazine interview, but were not retried, according to The Associated Press. They have since died.

At the time of Till's killing, momentum for the Civil Rights movement was growing — and the 14-year-old's death was a key moment that pushed it forward. His death was previously investigated as a cold case by FBI in 2006. That case was closed the following year, with officials saying that all suspects were deceased.

Speaking with Armstrong, Gordon reflected on her cousin's life. She was seven at the time of his death, and was with his mother when she received the call that his body was found.

"Emmett did have a life prior to death. He was a loving, happy child. He was a regular 14-year-old," she said. "He loved to make people laugh — so he was a jokester."

Gordon said while his family is disappointed by the outcome of the Justice Department's latest investigation, they will continue to push for justice in his name.

Pointing to the efforts of Civil Rights activists, and laws that were borne from the movement — like hate-crime legislation — Gordon added that Till's death has shifted American society, and continues to do so.

"We will get justice, maybe not from someone being prosecuted and going to jail, but we're going to get some kind of justice," she told Armstrong.

"It's a stain on American history and I think people will try to work to eradicate that stain as we go forward."

Written by Jason Vermes with files from The Associated Press. Interview with Ollie Gordon produced by Laurie Allan.