Family and friends of Deundray Cottrell, 31, are still seeking answers following his tragic death in July. As they mourn the loss of the talented dancer and Ph.D. student, their calls for justice and clarity grow louder.
Cottrell was found dead in a shed just days after he and his romantic partner, Julian Taylor Morris, had visited his sister and her family in Birmingham, Alabama, for a July 4 gathering at her home. When family members started shooting fireworks, Cottrell went inside around 9 p.m. to check on his dog and never returned to the festivities.
His sister, Angelica Harris, found it unusual for her brother to visit, given his busy schedule and the absence of his longtime romantic partner, dancer DeEric Garnell. People reported that Cottrell, Morris and Garnell were involved in a polyamorous relationship.
View this post on Instagram
The three were part of SkiiBoyz Entertainment, a dance group based in Atlanta. Cottrell and DeEric had been together for 14 years, and Morris met them in 2021.
“There were times that [Cottrell] would come by himself, but we have never seen just [Cottrell] and Julian,” Harris told the outlet.
Harris said Morris claimed that Cottrell had jumped out of a window after their conversation. However, this account did not match the fact that all the windows inside the home were shut. Morris later revised his statement, saying the 31-year-old had jumped off a patio and vanished.
“I was trying to tell him that I loved him and he jumped,” Morris told Harris, she said.
The family subsequently reported Cottrell missing and began a search for him. When Garnell learned of his partner’s disappearance, he traveled to Birmingham the following day to assist in the search for Cottrell. His loved ones continued their search for two more days until police discovered his body in a shed not far from Harris’ home.
“It was the strangest day,” Harris said. “I remember all of us standing out in the road. I remember taking off running to the stop sign, and I remember seeing the cops tying the yellow tape. As soon as they started to tie the tape, it started to rain, and it rained and rained and rained the rest of the day, and everybody stood in the rain. I just remember being numb.”
The Birmingham Police Department has ruled Cottrell’s death a homicide, though the cause of death has not yet been announced, according to People. Morris has been named a person of interest in the case, and authorities have urged him to come forward to be questioned by police, but he has not yet met with them.
Garnell has relied on the support of Cottrell’s family as they work to seek justice for his death.
“I just want to let the world know that Deundray had nothing but love in him,” Garnell said. “I just hope that his justice is served and that the world knows exactly what happened to such a good person.”
Harris said she does not want her brother’s death to be another tragedy in the community.
“He was everything to us,” she said. “The fact that he’s being minimized to just another tragedy, it hurts, and it hurts for my mom. He was somebody’s brother, he was somebody’s son, he was the golden lining in the sky for so many people. He was the best thing to a lot of people.”
