Juliana Nzita update: The latest on what we know about Charlotte teen’s hanging
Juliana Nzita, a 16-year-old Black girl, was found hanging in a churchyard in North Charlotte in May. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department concluded that she died by suicide.
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The Observer began investigating Juliana’s death in early June, after noticing a growing public outcry on social media and silence from CMPD about it. We published our report July 23 and her death has continued to ignite outrage on social media.
Here’s what we know to date about the case, and key remaining questions.
Juliana was reported missing to the police on May 5, as reflected on the official missing person’s report.
On the 911 call, someone from her family home told the dispatcher that she’d gone walking hours earlier and hadn’t returned. When asked whether Juliana had any mental health disabilities or concerns, the caller said no.
There seems to be some confusion about how long Juliana was missing.
A GoFundMe page set up by her uncle says she went missing April 28. That date continues to circulate on social media, but it is not backed up in any public police records.
Juliana’s uncle wrote on that page that she struggled severe bullying at school. Her family, who emigrated from the Congo, described her smile as warm, her demeanor as gentle.
Three days after Juliana was reported missing, a man named Kenneth Tolbert found her body on May 8 while walking his dog. Tolbert was passing by the United House of Prayer for All People on West Sugar Creek Road around noon. He said he spotted Juliana from the street.
Juliana was held up by a ratchet strap strung from a leaning tree trunk at least double her height. Some sort of pink fabric was also wrapped around that part of the tree.
Her feet, in sandals, rested on the ground. A blue toddler-sized chair sat next to her.
Tolbert alerted nearby church members and filmed the scene as he showed them Juliana’s body. He left his information with them and one of them called 911. The caller told the dispatcher it looked like “a lady hung herself on one of the trees.”
Police did not interview Tolbert. From what we know, police did not find Juliana’s cell phone. The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner did not do an autopsy.
CMPD told the Observer: “A thorough physical examination revealed no defensive wounds and no signs of physical or sexual assault. There is no physical or forensic evidence in this investigation indicating foul play or external involvement.”
Three days after Tolbert found Juliana’s body, the medical examiner’s office concluded that Juliana died by suicide. Police closed the case four days later.
The Observer asked to interview the detectives on the case on July 6. CMPD rejected that and Erin Wiggins, a spokeswoman for the department, said they would not answer any more questions about Juliana’s death. Police also rejected the Observer’s request to obtain their investigative file.
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After The Observer shared its findings weeks later before publishing its story, police offered some answers.
CMPD said they were not able to share all information about the case “out of respect to the family and victim, to align with our standard process of protecting the sensitive nature of these investigations, and given that this case involves a juvenile.”
However, police cited two factors that contributed to the determination that Juliana’s death was a suicide. One: her family said the blue chair belonged to them and had been taken from their home. And two: a “thorough physical examination” revealed no defensive wounds or signs of physical or sexual assault.
Police also addressed the position of Juliana’s body. They said a tree limb had broken and that could impact how she was situated. Her feet were resting on the ground when she was found. “Claims that natural reflexes would automatically force an individual to stand up are not supported by forensic science or investigative facts,” they wrote.
They said there was no physical or forensic evidence indicating foul play, and that church security cameras did not pick up any relevant footage.
Although Juliana’s story has gone viral on social media, only two city council members and the mayor have weighed in.
Mayor Charlotte Mayor Rob Harrington expressed confidence in the police.
“I completely trust and defer to the police department and its leadership,” Harrington said. “I know they do an excellent job. So, I have no questions about the way that they have handled the situation. I think my sort of reaction is just sorrow for the family.”
But council members Kimberly Owens and JD Mazuera Arias said they were shocked and angered that no one from CMPD or city administration informed them of the case until the day the Observer’s initial story published.
“Were we not in the South and were we not living in a very difficult time of social and political upheaval, I may land differently on the amount of deference we give to CMPD and the amount of information we share with all council members,” Owens wrote in an email to city leadership.
No other council members have commented. Nor has anyone on the Citizens Review Board, which reviews complaints about the police.
Juliana’s family is working with Julian, a civil rights organization that investigates how police handle the deaths of Black people and other minorities. The organization’s founder, Jill Collen Jefferson, has posted about this on social media.
The family obtained an independent autopsy and DNA testing. It is unclear when the results of those will be complete and what they will share publically.
A change.org petition to reopen the case is rapidly gaining signatures, doubling over the last week to more than 5,000 signatures as of July 30.
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This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 12:52 PM.
