Remains of LGBTQ Ole Miss student believed to be found after nearly 3 years

A gold necklace with Jimmie “Jay” Lee’s name on it wasfound with human remains in Carroll County this weekend, but authorities have not publicly confirmed the remains belong to the missing University of Mississippi student and well-known member of Oxford’s LGBTQ+ community.

Local authorities acknowledged the necklace was found with human remains that have yet to be identified through DNA. In a text, Carroll County Sheriff Clint Walker had no comment but acknowledged a picture of the necklace, asking "who sent you the picture of the necklace?" The Oxford Police Department could not be reached by press time.

After this story published, the Oxford Police Department released a statement that it was aware of the Carroll County sheriff's investigation and had no additional comment until the identification of the remains.

"Our main priority has always been to bring Jay Lee home," Chief Jeff McCutchen said in the release. "We, like the public, are anxiously awaiting updates and ask for patience as the investigative process unfolds."

An image of the cursive nameplate obtained by Mississippi Today matches a necklace that Lee wore in pictures and videos on his Instagram account as recently as two days before he went missing.

Lee’s body had been missing since July 2022 after his mother told local police that she had not heard from him. A few weeks later, a fellow Ole Miss student and recent graduate, Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., was arrested and accused of killing Lee to preserve their secret sexual relationship.

Herrington's attorney, state Rep. Kevin Horan, R-Grenada, said he had no comment. Lee's parents could not be reached.

The human remains were found about an hour and a half south of Oxford. The day Lee went missing, Herrington was seen on video retrieving a long-handle shovel and wheelbarrow from his parent’s house in Grenada County and putting it into the back of a box truck that belonged to his moving company, according to evidence released in the case.

Herrington was tried for capital murder in December by the Lafayette County District Attorney’s Office. A judge declared a mistrial after the jury, which was chosen in Forrest County, was hung 11-1, with the disagreeing juror reportedly unable to convict due to the lack of a body.

Update 2/2/23: This story has been updated to include a press statement from the Oxford Police Departmentand the text message from the Carroll County sheriff.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.