Miss Hankins and her family, under the guidance of famous civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, are the third to voice their concerns. They claim that they were uninformed about their son's burial in the Hinds County Pauper Cemetery.
Fume filled the air as mother Gretchen Hankins felt that the authorities didn't put enough effort into finding her missing son, Jonathan David Hankins. She hopes that those involved lose their positions due to their lax approach to the situation.
Reports reveal that Crump represents two other families, with similar experiences. Dexter Wade was accidentally run over by a police officer in Jackson, Mississippi, and was buried without their knowledge. Meanwhile, Mario Moore also met his end at the infamous Beggar's Field, where authorities usually do not retrieve or identify the bodies.
Crump expressed his concern after his clients, the Hankins family, have been struggling to find answers about their loved one's disappearance. The recent discovery of a body in the same district where Wade was buried stirred further doubt.
CNN reached out to various authorities, including the Jackson Mayor's Office and the Hinds County Medical Examiner, yet, no statement was available at the time of this piece's creation. However, the Rankin County Sheriff's Department acknowledged the missing person report from Gretchen Hankins, albeit declining to comment further.
In November, the Jackson Police Department announced plans to develop guidelines for reporting deaths, following the absence of such rules previously. Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade shared his intention to ensure better policing services with the new guidelines coming into force.
Mrs. Hankins spoke about her son's struggle with drug addiction, experiencing occasional disappearances, alluding to a sense of indifference. "They didn't just discard him," she said.
[1]: TikTok search results related to unmarked graves in Hinds County, Mississippi [2]: Local news articles discussing the controversy around the Hinds County Pauper Cemetery [3]: Previous cases of unidentified bodies found in pauper cemeteries, providing some context for this situation
