Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge has officially declared a missing Ole Miss student as dead as the case continues against his accused killer.
In an order dated October 15, 2024, the judge said, “the proof is evident and the presumption is great” that Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee is dead. The ruling allows for a death certificate to be issued to the family.
The order said Lee “has undergone a catastrophic event that exposed him to imminent peril or danger reasonably expected to result in the loss of life.” It continues that Lee’s disappearance “can not be satisfactorily explained” after a “diligent search” by law enforcement and family.
Lee disappeared July 8, 2022. The 20-year-old was last seen at an apartment complex in Oxford, Mississippi, and the body has not been found. Jay was well known in the college town’s LGBTQ+ community, where the disappearance sparked fear.
Sheldon ‘Timothy’ Herrington Jr. is charged with the murder and is awaiting trial. He has maintained his innocence.
Herrington, who had graduated from the university, was arrested two weeks after Lee vanished, then released five months later on a $250,000 bond after agreeing to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor.
Herrington faces life in prison if convicted.
See also:
Search and Rescue K9s Search Areas of Oxford for Missing Ole Miss Student Jimmie “Jay” Lee
Grenada, Mississippi Man Arrested for the Murder of Jimmie “Jay” Lee
Grenada, Mississippi Man Indicted by Grand Jury for Capital Murder of Jimmy “Jay” Lee
Trial Date Set for Man Accused of Killing Still-Missing Ole Miss Student Jimmie “Jay” Lee
Motion Filed to Seal Jimmie “Jay” Lee Capital Murder Case from Public View
