Investigation 'Pending' Into Man Found Hanging From A Tree In Victorville, California

This is absolutely horrible.

As we previously shared, outrage has been sparked north of Los Angeles after the body of Robert Fuller was found hanging from a tree outside the Palmdale City Hall office. Though it has been described as “an alleged death by suicide,” many are demanding an investigation for more details.

Unfortunately, another Black man was similarly found in neighboring Victorville, California, about 50 miles away from Palmdale.

Malcolm Harsch was found deceased by the Victorville City Fire Department on May 31 around 7 a.m. near the Victorville City Library. While the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department say foul play is not suspected, it is still an active investigation.

Jodi Miller, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s office, told the Victor Valley News:

“There were no indications at the scene that suggested foul play; however, the cause and manner of death are still pending.”

Harsch’s family reached out to the outlet shortly after the discovery of his body and said they were still seeking answers, but initially waited for more details to share anything. On Saturday, they issued a statement to the outlet:

“Our brother Malcolm Harsch died on May 31st. His cause of death has not been released to the family yet but we are concerned that his death will be labeled as a suicide, as this is what was communicated to us upon confirmation of his death on the morning of June 1st.”

The statement continued:

“Amidst the current racial tension and following the protesting the night prior to his body being discovered we were truly troubled to learn of his passing particularly of how his body was discovered. He is an African-American man whose body was found hanging from a tree! The deputy who called to confirm his death asked questions about drug or alcohol use, he made a statement about how the coronavirus has “hit people really hard” and said that a USB cord was used to hang himself.”

The message also gave information about the matter in which his body was found:

“As most of us are in Ohio, we weren’t able to physically go to the location where he was found dead but did speak to a few people who were around at the time of the discovery. We were told that his 6 foot 3 inches long body wasn’t even dangling from the tree. There was blood on his shirt but there didn’t appear to be any physical implications at the scene to suggest that there was a struggle or any visible open wounds at that time. His body sat at the San Bernardino County Coroner for 12 days before an autopsy was performed.”

They also expressed doubt that Harsch died by suicide, and are calling for justice:

“We understand that Victorville is a small city and have been reminded regularly that San Bernardino is very busy (as if we aren’t patient enough for necessary answers) but feel that our brother’s death will be waived off as a suicide to avoid any further media attention. Malcolm had very recent conversations with his children about seeing them soon. He didn’t seem to be depressed to anyone who truly knew him. EVERYONE who knew our brother was shocked to hear that he allegedly hung himself and don’t believe it to be true as well as the people who were there when his body was discovered. The explanation of suicide does not seem plausible. There are many ways to die but considering the current racial tension, a black man hanging himself from a tree definitely doesn’t sit well with us right now. We want justice not comfortable excuses.”

We’re sending our love to Malcolm’s family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

[Image via Victor Valley News Group/YouTube.]