Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman whose accusations led to the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955, was spotted for the first time in nearly two decades.
Last month, Till’s case received renewed attention after an unserved warrant for Donham’s arrest from almost 70 years ago was found.
Donham evaded the public eye for 20 years until Monday (August 1) when the Daily Mail shared exclusive photos of the now 88-year-old woman at her Kentucky home that she shares with her son Thomas Bryant.
According to reports, Donham is legally blind, battling cancer, and receiving end-of-life hospice care in the shared apartment.
The 88-year-old was caught on camera wearing a blue top and khaki slacks as she waited for her hospice nurse to arrive. Tubes delivering oxygen could be seen over her ears and looped into her nose.
Donham was later spotted greeting the nurse and waving goodbye as she left, promising to see her “next week.”
When approached by the Daily Mail, Donham and her son declined to discuss Till’s case.
Donham’s appearance marks the first time she had been seen since 2004.
After her unserved arrest warrant surfaced, Till protesters combed senior living facilities in search of the accuser.
“I do understand that Ms. Bryant is in her mid-to-late-80s, but understandably, this is a crime she committed when she was 22,” a protestor said per Daily Mail. “Sixty years later, it’s time for her to be held accountable.”
In 1955, Donham accused Till of whistling at her in a Mississippi grocery store.
Following her claims, the 14-year-old Black boy was abducted and left for dead in the Tallahatchie River.
His swollen and mutilated body was found three days after the killing.
Donham’s husband, Roy Bryant, and half-brother, JW Milam, were arrested for the lynching of Till, but were later acquitted and never prosecuted.
See the rare photos of Carolyn Bryant Donham here.
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