A Mississippi family has finally funeralized and buried in a proper grave their loved one, a man who had been killed by an off-duty Jackson police officer and buried in a pauper’s field without notifying the family.
Civil rights leaders, activists, and politicians attended the homegoing, calling for someone to take accountability for his death and seeking justice for the grieving family.
Bettersten Wade, mother of Dexter Wade, was supported by hundreds, including her granddaughters, as she laid her son to rest.
The 37-year-old mysteriously went missing in March 2023. However, months later, it was discovered not only was he struck and killed by a Jackson police officer’s car as Wade was trying to cross Interstate 55 on foot, but his remains were laid to rest in grave No. 672 at the Hinds County Jail’s penal farm without anyone contacting his next of kin.
Now, with his body exhumed and placed under the care of the family, Dexter Wade was finally given a funeral of honor.
In addition to the family, civil rights lawyers Ben Crump and Dennis Sweet attended the event on Monday, Nov. 20, at New Horizon Church International. They have been supporting Bettersten Wade over the past few months, assisting in the exhumation of his body and organizing an independent autopsy.
The autopsy reportedly revealed a state ID card on Dexter Wade’s body, suggesting that law enforcement had information to contact his loved ones but opted not to do so.
Officiating the ceremony was Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave a warm eulogy that focused on the gaping hole left in the family because of Wade’s death. He noted how his two daughters would grow up without a father and stressed the importance of holding the city of Jackson and Hinds County accountable for this loss.
Sharpton said that in all of his years fighting against police-involved violence against Black people, he “never heard one like this.”
“His life mattered to his mama, to his daughters, and we’re going to make it matter all over this country,” the preacher/ activist said, according to NBC News.
Also in attendance and listening to his scalding reprimand were politicians such as Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson City Council member Kenneth Stokes, and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who had questions about the case.
“Who was investigating?” Mississippi’s sole Black congressman, Thompson, asked. “Were any policies violated? To my knowledge, none of this information has been made available.”
While the city and the county are pointing at each other for answers, Owens said his office is working with city and county authorities on a “full review” of the case.
Stokes did not share what his plans were but publicly apologized on behalf of the City Council on Sunday, Nov. 19, and reiterated the apology during the homegoing service.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba mentioned that the police department, acknowledging a flawed communication system, did not intend to harm the family. Police Chief Joseph Wade stated that he implemented the police department’s inaugural policy on death notifications. However, neither the mayor nor the police department has specified the accountability measures for the off-duty officer directly involved in Dexter Wade’s death.
Unfortunately, Wade’s anonymous burial is not just a one-off for Jackson. It was discovered in October 2023 that homicide victim Marrio Terrell Moore, 40, was also buried in the same pauper’s field without his family being notified of his death.
Actually, according to police records, both Dexter Wade and Moore — who was found beaten to death on a Jackson street in February of this year — were buried on the same day, July 14, and in the same place by the same law enforcement agency.
Mississippi law states coroners “shall make reasonable efforts to notify members of the decedent’s family,” if the body remains unclaimed after five days, authorities have the right to bury the deceased. In both cases, authorities say they tried to reach out to the families but were unsuccessful, which led to the burials.
In Moore’s case, his relative worked in the local sheriff’s office, and he was not contacted. In Dexter Wade’s case, his family’s attorney plans to see them in court — requesting that the Justice Department steps in and investigate.
“It just doesn’t pass the smell test,” Crump said. “That’s why people all over America are talking about what happened to Dexter Wade in Jackson, Mississippi.”
