Son of Murdered Man Now Fighting Cancer
JACKSON, Tenn. – Since his tragic murder in 2009, the family of Jackson locksmith Troy Mitchell has been closely followed by many in West Tennessee. The decorated Marine, husband and father of seven sons was gunned down while on the job. His family is now enduring another battle – his second-to-youngest son has a malignant brain tumor. The Mitchell family said it has been a tough few years since Troy was murdered. They said prayer and community support help them get through it. It is what will heal their family, even now. “Our family’s been through bad times already, and so it felt like a huge blow to have something so drastic change your life in a moment,” said Reed’s mother, Kelly Mitchell. Mitchell said their family was stunned to learn 11-year-old Reed has a massive brain tumor. “When Reed was actually going through the surgery, and I did not know the outcome of that, because we were told it was extremely serious,” she said. “The doctor said it was the largest tumor he has ever dealt with. I was heart sick, like when I found out about Troy.” Troy Mitchell was murdered and robbed about four years ago. As soon as Reed got through the surgery, his mother said she had relief and hope. The pictures of Troy and Reed’s brothers keep him company. “God’s helping us through this and our dad’s watching down on Reed to help us get through it,” said Reed’s brother, Treaven Mitchell. Treaven said there was no indication Reed had a tumor. “Always good in school. Never gets in trouble. Never been outgoing much,” said Reed’s brother, Josh Mitchell. But they said Reed is stronger than he looks. “Right now Reed’s still there. It’s still him, so we can deal with anything that happens physically. We just don’t want anything to happen mentally,” Treaven said. Reed’s mother said they just have to trust that God is in control. They are grateful they still have Reed, and he is on the road to recovery.
