The Oxford Police Department confirmed Wednesday morning that the remains of Jimmie “Jay” Lee have been recovered more than two years since he was reported missing. The Mississippi State Crime Lab confirmed the identity through DNA analysis.
“On Saturday, February 1, 2025, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Oxford Police Department regarding human remains discovered in their jurisdiction,” Breck Jones, OPD public information officer, said in a press release. “A joint investigation was launched between the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Oxford Police Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. The remains were sent to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for DNA testing.”
Lee — a prominent member of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community and 2022 University of Mississippi graduate — had been missing since Friday, July 8, 2022. In October, Lee was legally declared dead by Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Grady Tollison.
“The Oxford Police Department made a commitment to finding Jay, no matter how long it took,” OPD Chief Jeff McCutchen said in the press release. “This case has remained an active investigation since July 8, 2022. We are grateful to the Lee family and Jay’s friends for their help and support throughout this process. We hope this confirmation brings them even a small measure of comfort.”
The remains were discovered by hunters in Carroll County in a wooded area at an illegal dumping site, according to FOX13 in Memphis. Carroll County is located an hour and half southwest of Oxford.
Though the search for Lee’s remains is complete, the investigation is ongoing, Jones said. OPD was unable to provide further details.
Justice for Jay Lee — a local group who has been advocating for Lee since his disappearance — released a statement in an Instagram post Wednesday afternoon.
“Thank you for supporting Jay Lee and His Family,” the post read. “Please continue to advocate for Jay Lee. There must be punishment for the crimes committed against him immediately.”
Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. was arrested and charged with the capital murder of Lee on July 22, 2022. Herrington’s trial ended in a mistrial on Dec. 11, 2024, after the jury could not come to a consensus. Herrington is currently out on bond.
According to reporting by WLBT3, the jury was split 11-1 in favor of a guilty verdict. According to the report, an anonymous juror said the absence of a body was one of the factors that led to the hung jury.
Lee was last seen on video surveillance footage at 5:58 a.m. on July 8, 2022, leaving Campus Walk Apartments in Oxford.
The morning of Lee’s disappearance, Herrington and Lee had been messaging each other, and Herrington requested Lee to meet him at his apartment at Lafayette Place Apartments. Prosecutors argued in an August 2022 bond hearing that Herrington and Lee had been in a casual relationship.
The Daily Mississippian was unable to reach Kevin Horan, Herrington’s defense attorney, and District Attorney Ben Creekmore for comment about Wednesday’s identification of the remains.
Following the mistrial, Creekmore indicated in a statement to The Daily Mississippian that the prosecution was pursuing a new trial date.
“We’re going to proceed forward with trying to get with the court to set a new trial date,” Creekmore said. “I just appreciate everybody’s hard work and accommodation by the circuit clerk’s office and the Oxford Police Department and the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department — and my heart goes out to the Lee family.”
Upon hearing that Lee’s remains had been identified, several UM students felt a sense of closure.
“While it is very frustrating and an overall bad situation, I’m glad that there’s finally some closure in a sense,” Evan Haydenfeld, a sophomore Arabic major, said. “We somewhat know what happened and we know where he is.”
Jennifer Velasquez, a junior biology major, hopes that the development will provide a sense of closure for Lee’s family.
“It is really sad knowing that there is someone out there that really hurt the family. Right now I hope they got closure,” Velasquez said.
River Johnson, a junior business administration major, echoed Velasquez’s sentiments.
“Sometimes it’s better to know than to not know, and I hope that just brings closure to the family and that they can move on and move past this,” Johnson said.
Freshman English major Kayt Davis described how Lee’s death has affected the Oxford community.
“I feel like it’s really impactful on the community that something can happen so close to here because it feels like it’s never going to be you,” Davis said. “It’s nice to know that the family can get closure and that it might help the trial.”
