In a shocking revelation, three Mississippi families have recently discovered that their missing loved ones, including Jonathan Hankins, were buried in a county pauper’s field, unbeknownst to them.
Jonathan Hankins, a 39-year-old Rankin County man who vanished in May 2022, was found deceased in a hotel three days after leaving home, likely due to an overdose
The distressing aspect is that Jonathan Hankins’ mother remained oblivious to her son’s fate for almost 19 months until an NBC News reporter investigating the case informed her on December 4th. Despite numerous follow-up calls to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, where Jonathan Hankins was reported missing, the mother received no notification. The sheriff’s office had even posted missing person posters on social media, continuing their search for him in August 2022, unaware he was already buried in the Hinds County Penal Farm.
Similar nightmares unfolded for the families of Dexter Wade and Marrio Moore, whose deaths were mishandled by the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner’s Office
The bodies were buried in the pauper’s field without notifying the families. Expressing her dismay, Hankins’ aunt, Jeannie Jones, lamented, “It feels like they threw him away like trash. No caring. No feeling.” Gretchen Hankins, Jonathan’s mother, emphasized the inhumanity of the situation, stating, “Going that dang long and not calling people, that’s just inhumane. It’s wrong. It’s just wrong.”
Despite attempts to contact the relevant authorities, including the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson Police Department, and the Hinds County Coroner’s Office, no immediate responses were received. Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represents Wade’s and Moore’s families, has vowed to seek justice for the grieving families, emphasizing the need for immediate and accurate answers in cases of missing persons.
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