Till was from Chicago, Illinois. He went to see his relatives in the Mississippi Delta area when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant. She was the married owner of a small grocery store. Several nights later, Bryant's husband Roy and his half-brother J. W. Milam, went to Till's great-uncle's house. They took Till to a barn. It is believed that they beat him and removed one of his eyes . They then shot him in the head and put his body in the Tallahatchie River. His body was found in the river three days later.