‘Hope Rally’ for Missing Student set for Wednesday Night

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

A rally is being planned for Wednesday evening to give the LOU community a chance to come together in support of missing Ole Miss student Jimmie “Jay” Lee.

University of Mississippi’s Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced the upcoming “Hope Rally for Jay Lee,” in an email sent to students and faculty.

“To Jay’s friends and classmates, I encourage you to draw strength from coming together as a community and supporting one another,” Boyce said in the statement.

The “Hope Rally for Jay Lee” is being organized by the Department of Social Work and will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the flagpole in the Circle.

This is a distressing and difficult time for our university as the search continues for missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee,” Boyce said. “The uncertainty that Jay’s parents, family, and friends are facing right now is unimaginable. I thank our campus and our community for keeping Jay and the Lee family close in their thoughts and prayers.”

Lee, 20, was seen at about 6 a.m. on July 8 leaving Campus Walk Apartments to get coffee. His car was discovered on July 11 at a local towing company. The car had been towed from Molly Barr Trail apartments Friday afternoon.

According to a joint statement from the University of Mississippi Police Department and the Oxford Police Department last week, the vehicle was taken to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for processing.

While more than a dozen search warrants have been executed on both physical and digital entities, according to OPD, no other significant updates have been made public.

Lee, who studied social work at Ole Miss, ran for Homecoming King in September on a platform of “self-love and living your truth.” He became a drag performer in October 2021 during Oxford’s Code Pink event and performs under the name “Jehdivaa.” He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in May and was planning on attending graduate school at Ole Miss this fall.

Since his disappearance, friends and strangers have come together to help located Lee by putting up “missing person” flyers and raising funds to up the reward money being offered for information leading to finding Lee.

Lee’s family is offering a $5,000 reward and the Lafayette County Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward.

“As the investigation continues, our university will continue to support the Lee family and the investigators in any way that we can,” Boyce said. “Our collective hope and prayer is for Jay’s safe return.”

If anyone has information regarding Lee’s whereabouts or his activities on Friday, contact OPD at 662-232-2400, UPD at 662-915-7234, CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8477, or you can direct message any of the department’s media accounts.