Steps to Justice; Inmates buried in the Hinds County Pauper’s Field without their families’ knowledge

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

This week, I want to provide an update on a story that closed 2024 on a painfully obvious note; that to some people; some lives seem to matter more than others.

As a journalist, I refuse to turn a blind eye to the silent screams of those whose experiences are relegated to mere footnotes in history. I refuse to succumb to the allure of sensationalism, to prioritize clicks over compassion. For every fleeting moment of attention, there are countless untold stories languishing in the shadows, waiting to be heard, waiting to be acknowledged.

This is one such story. It speaks of lives fractured by trauma, of individuals thrust into the crucible of pain and loss, their struggles overlooked, and their voices drowned out by the clamour of the everyday.

In December 2023, the story broke that: Marrio Moore, 40, Jonathan Hankins, 39, and Dexter Wade, 37, were buried in the Hinds County Pauper’s Field without their families’ knowledge. Each man was reported missing, but it took months — and for Hankins, over a year — for them to find out. The families did not know what had happened until NBCNews.com reporters broke the news. Imagine finding out that your family member who you had not heard from was found buried! People all across America were scratching their heads in disbelief about what had happened in Jackson, Mississippi, with this pauper’s graveyard.

Ben Crump, along with attorney Dennis Sweet, a Jackson native, stepped up to represent the families. Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more.

Around the time of the discovery, a press conference was held at the Stronger Hope Baptist Church in Jackson where the families pleaded with city and county officials to explain why they weren’t notified. They also wanted to know why the deaths of each man weren’t properly investigated by the Jackson Police Department.

A further report from NBC News provided a list of names of 215 people who were buried in the same pauper’s field where Moore, Hankins and Wade were.

On Thursday, April 4^th, 2024, Attorneys Ben Crump and co-counsel Dennis Sweet released a statement following the announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice that they would provide technical assistance to the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner’s Office with next-of-kin death notifications related to those buried in Jackson pauper’s field.

Attorneys Crump and Sweet have released the following statement:

“We thank the Department of Justice, under Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s leadership, for taking the steps to address the ongoing issues in Jackson related to the pauper’s field. Our team has been on the ground investigating the situation since Dexter Wade and other horrific cases came to light. We intend to provide any information that might be helpful to the DOJ through this process.”

“The families impacted by local government officials’ shortcomings are grateful that the federal government heard their cries for change and will be intervening. It is our hope that this federal intervention will reestablish trust within the Jackson community and their local agencies.”

The technical assistance, which will be provided by the Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, will examine: JPD’s General Order on Missing Persons, and new General Order on Death Notifications, and provide recommendations on implementation and training. The technical assistance to the Hinds County Coroner’s Office will provide recommendations on policies and training related to locating next-of-kin.

Under Title VI, the department is working to make sure that law enforcement agencies and other recipients of federal funding take affirmative steps to comply with their civil rights obligations by offering technical assistance to facilitate Title VI compliance. The point of technical assistance is to help agencies update and/or enhance their policies and practices, while strengthening the connection between law enforcement agencies and communities of color and other stakeholders.

In the fleeting echoes of media coverage, amidst the constant churn of headlines, there exist narratives, stories etched in the shadows, barely acknowledged before fading into obscurity. Yet, these are the tales that demand our attention.

In bearing witness to these narratives, in amplifying the voices of the marginalized and the forgotten, I want to continue to honour the families in this story. I refuse to allow their struggles to be relegated to the periphery of our collective consciousness. I refuse to let their pain be consigned to the annals of indifference.

This is not just another story—it is a call to action, a reminder of our shared humanity, and a testament to the enduring power of empathy in the face of adversity.