Boss Denies Role In Death Of Mississippi Man Found With Severed Penis In Mouth

The one-time boss of a young Mississippi man says his family is in hiding, but he's not involved in the young man's death, according to authorities.

Luke Clements answered questions about Rasheem Carter, 25, whose body was found in early November in some woods near Taylorsville, located between Jackson and Hattiesburg.

Carter, who is Black, worked for Clements, who is white, on a job site as a welder. Carter's mother says the two had an argument as Carter's contract work ended, according to officials.

“I want to help any way we can. We have made every effort to address any of these accusations that have been made,” Clements told NewsNation Tuesday.

Clements has suspended all business contracts because of death and rape threats against his family.

“Once a national press conference hit the news, it just got relentless,” Clements said. “They would call me... every two minutes.”

Clements added that he's “had a lot of support” from local law enforcement.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has declared it cannot determine how Carter died. Smith County officials initially said there was no evidence of foul play, and suggested it was an animal attack.

But Carter's family doubts that. According to Mother Jones, a private investigator it hired concluded a severed penis was in Carter's mouth, while other breaks in bones were too clean-cut to be the work of animals.

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The family is calling for a federal investigation. It's also organized protest marches in the area where Carter died, officials said.

The family has assistance from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, apparently because Carter had claimed white men in three trucks were following him yelling racial slurs.