Entertainment
Mystery Behind Why 5 Monkeys Killed by Mississippi Deputies Is Solved
Mississippi Monkeys
Sheriff Gives TMZ Blow-By-Blow Account of Monkey Mayhem!!!
Published
The mystery behind why five monkeys were killed by police after a truck carrying the primates overturned in Mississippi has been solved — and TMZ has the full scoop!
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson tells us … he contacted one of his deputies who responded to Tuesday’s truck accident along a highway in rural Heidelberg, and he asked the deputy what kind of threat the monkeys pose to the public.
Johnson said the deputy had the 2 truck occupants contact their supervisor — who warned the cargo contained 21 test monkeys infected with COVID, herpes, and hepatitis C — and, as a result, they needed to be handled with protective gear.
The supervisor also recommended the monkeys be put down … and that’s why police “destroyed” the animals, according to Johnson, who described the monkeys as “aggravated” and “aggressive” toward people.
WATCH: Video shows the aftermath of a crash involving a truck transporting rhesus monkeys from Tulane University.
University officials say the monkeys are not infectious. pic.twitter.com/qZMRIyxvEl
— Resist Times (@ResistTimes_US) October 28, 2025
@ResistTimes_US
Turns out, though, the monkeys did not have any diseases, and the sheriff corrected the record later in the day after Tulane University — where the primates were transported from — issued a statement saying the animals were not infectious.
In addition to the 5 dead monkeys, Johnson said 13 others survived the crash and were corralled by the authorities … while 3 others escaped into the wild.
Johnson said the authorities are now looking for the 3 monkeys in dense woods, laying down traps with food in them. Johnson also said he’s concerned the monkeys might end up in someone’s backyard and bite a person trying to capture them.
Meanwhile, Tulane University sent us an updated statement, saying 21 rhesus macaques were being transported from the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center when the truck crashed.
A Tulane spokesperson noted the monkeys were “not being transported by Tulane, not owned by Tulane, and not in Tulane’s custody.” The rep also said the “primates in question were not carrying any diseases and had received recent checkups confirming that they were pathogen-free.”
YNW Melly
Witness Tampering Charges Dropped
Published
YNW Melly just scored a huge legal win … because prosecutors in Florida dropped witness tampering charges against him on the cusp of his trial.
The “Murder On My Mind” rapper was set to stand trial on the state charges … jury selection was set to begin Wednesday … but now he can turn his attention to his double-murder trial.
Melly’s attorney’s Drew Findling and Carey Haughwout tell TMZ … “On behalf of Jamell Demons, we welcome the dismissal of the alleged tampering and gang related charges in court this morning. As his newly retained legal team, it became immediately apparent to us that no crimes had occurred. Unfortunately, for 652 days while these charges were pending, the State did not reach the same conclusion until the cusp of trial.”
Unclear why the charges were dropped … prosecutors had alleged Melly was colluding with is co-defendant Cortlen Henry and another inmate to prevent Melly’s ex from testifying in the double-murder case.
With the tampering charges off the table, Melly’s attorneys tell us they now try to free him from a Broward County, Florida jail pending his double-murder trial.
7/11/19
WSVN
Melly is accused of murdering two of his childhood friends in an October 2018 drive-by shooting … he stood trial in 2023, but jurors were deadlocked, and it ended in a mistrial.
Melly’s double-murder retrial is set for January 2027 … and the stakes are high … ’cause he could face the death penalty if convicted.
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YNW Melly Prosecutors Drop Witness Tampering Charges
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