“If the facts show suicide, I accept that. But if it shows something alternative, it’s important to know.” Tory Medley’s sister Shena commented on her brother’s death after waiting months for answers.
On November 13, 2025, Torrance “Tory” Medley was found hanging from a tree at the Brookfield Hills Golf Course, which is located near I-94 and Moorland Rd. in Brookfield. His death was immediately ruled a suicide by the Brookfield Police Department stating there was no evidence of foul play. Tory’s family has been seeking transparency about the investigation. Because of public pressure, the family has received more information. However, questions still linger.
Social Media put the Spotlight on his Death
Tory’s death received a lot of attention from social media and community members, due to the initial lack of an investigation as well as the historical context of Black people being lynched in our nation. The main concern of the family is that there are a lot of unanswered questions that should be thoroughly looked into before ruling his cause of death as suicude.
“With the public being more involved, they are thankfully treating the investigation a lot more seriously. But in the same breath, share the info so that we could all be on the same page and know what you’re looking at. If you have nothing to hide, show it.” Shena Medley stated.
After weeks of pushing, footage of Tory taking the bus back to downtown Milwaukee on Tuesday, Nov. 11–two nights before he was found–and footage of him in Brookfield on Wednesday, Nov. 12, were released to the family. However, the family is still seeking more transparency because the area where he was found is surrounded by three hotels as well as the golf course, and all have surveillance cameras.
Tory’s cell phone and identification still haven’t been found. His family started a GoFundMe and used the donations to pay for an independent pathologist to determine the cause of death. They are currently awaiting results of that independent autopsy.
“And there’s so many Black men being hung around the country and the first thing they want to call it is an apparent suicide, with everything going on in our nation nowadays you (we) know good well that it isn’t. So, you can’t call something one thing without doing the work behind it,” Shena stated.
Since 2020, there have been a number of Black people found dead hanging from trees across the nation. The most recent death, according to an article by NewsOne that you can read at the QR code, is Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed, who was found hanging from a tree on campus on September 15, 2025. At least 10 deaths are mentioned in the article showing a disturbing pattern. Local authorities immediately ruled their deaths suicides without a thorough investigation to follow.
In addition to the family, the Milwaukee and Waukesha chapters of the NAACP have also demanded the Brookfield Police Department conduct a proper investigation. The Waukesha County Medical Examiner has not ruled on a cause of death yet, therefore his death certificate is still pending.
Tory and his Struggles with Mental Health
Tory was 39-years-old and the baby of the family. He was such an easy going guy, according to his sister Shena. He grew up in Mukwonago where he went from elementary until high school. Tory loved Japanese culture. He taught himself the Japanese language and had built an online gaming community with friends in Japan while in high school.
He eventually found his way to Milwaukee where he began to build a life for himself. With an interest in working with his hands, Tory attended MATC’s Mequon Campus for landscaping for some time as well. Shena also shared with the MATC Times that Tory dealt with mental health challenges and would sometimes hear voices. Shena has made it apparent to the media about her brother’s mental health challenges in an effort to tell his entire truth.
“Everybody is human and if you don’t disclose something they can weaponize it against him. In actuality he’s human. Just like each and every one of us. We all have things we would love to conquer, but sometimes we just can’t. And for my brother, this was definitely one of his struggles, but my brother tried.” Shena said. He was honest about his challenges. All his friends and family knew what he battled and they did their part to be there to support him.
“We can’t jump to immediate conclusions because of it. Does it maybe make suicide more plausible? Maybe. But how about all the other circumstances? We gotta look at the entire picture,” she said.
Tory did not allow his mental health to rule his life, however. He worked and provided for himself and was a loving son, friend and brother. To those that knew him, Tory was an unassuming person who never sought attention and stayed in the background, but he’d say something off the cuff and have you cracking up, Shena shared.
Tory expressed himself through drawing. He loved to draw and his drawings were a powerful way for him to visually illustrate what he would have trouble verbally communicating.
Although Tory was faced with mental health challenges, that doesn’t rule out the other aspects of his case. One thing that is itching in the minds of those who knew him is “How can a person so private do something so public?”
