Till relatives seek accuser’s prosecution in 1955 kidnapping

By JAY REEVES
Associated Press

Relatives of Emmett Till have been stymied in their calls for a renewed investigation into his lynching in Mississippi in 1955. So they’re advocating another possible path toward accountability: They want authorities to launch a kidnapping prosecution against the woman who accused the Black Chicago teen of improper advances. FBI records show Carolyn Bryant Donham was named nearly 67 years ago in a warrant accusing her in Till’s abduction, even before his mangled body was found in the Tallahatchie River. She was never arrested. Relatives and activists say the time has come. The Justice Department closed its most recent investigation saying Donham had denied recanting her accusations.