Social media reactions to MTSU professor’s sudden death

Noah Mclane, Editor in chief • December 4, 2025

Ashleigh McKinzie, wearing an orange jacket, speaks at a panel discussion at MTSU in 2023.

A stream of social media messages from MTSU departments followed the sudden death of Ashleigh McKinzie on Thursday. McKinzie was a sociology professor at MTSU and taught six classes this semester.

She was found dead Thursday morning, killed by apparent gunshot wounds, in DeKalb County, Tennessee this morning. A firearm belonging to McKenzie was recovered from the scene, and police are interviewing a potential witness, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney, Bryant Dunaway.

The university’s main Facebook account extended condolences to her loved ones, as well as posts from her colleagues in the anthropology and sociology departments. Sidelines has collected the posts here. People claiming to have known McKinzie also commented on her sudden death.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MTSU College of Liberal Arts (@mtsucla)

MTSU College of Liberal Arts on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Middle Tennessee State University Sociology (@mtsusociology)

Sociology and Anthropology Departments on Instagram

MTSU on Facebook

Danielle Kiekhaefer on Facebook

Reagan Johnson on Facebook

This is a developing story. Be sure to check back for updates.

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About the Contributor

Noah Mclane, Editor in Chief

I’m a senior at MTSU’s School of Journalism, and this will be my second semester as the lead news reporter for Sidelines. I work for the First Amendment Encyclopedia through the Free Speech Center at MTSU and the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. In addition to covering issues like Forrest Hall and free speech on campus for Sidelines, I produced content for the Paris Post-Intelligencer, the First Amendment Encyclopedia, Sidelines Magazine and WMOT.