A family in Washington state is asking the FBI to step-in to investigate the mysterious death of their son, Ben M. Keita.
Keita, an 18-year-old black Muslim teen, was reported missing in late November before he was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area in January.
The medical examiner originally ruled the death a suicide, but recently changed the classification to undetermined.
The Council of American-Islamic Relations are representing the family in their request that the FBI open an investigation, the group said at a news conference Tuesday alongside Keita’s family.
“The FBI is communicating with our police partners,” the group said in a statement. “We are aware of circumstances of the individual’s death and will review them with consideration of federal law. If warranted, we may conduct further investigation. A review does not necessarily result in the opening of an investigation.”
The teen’s father, Ibrahim Keita appealed for answers from the public. He also describes his son as a “happy, generous young man with plans for his life.”
“He was planning to graduate this year from Lake Stevens High School,” his father said Tuesday. “He was already in the Running Start program at Everett Community College and he was dreaming of becoming a medical doctor and work as a medical examiner. Now those dreams are over.”