
Hundreds of bodies found buried behind Mississippi jail
Clip: 1/10/2024 | 7m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Families in disbelief after hundreds of bodies found buried behind Mississippi jail
The discovery of 215 bodies buried in unmarked graves behind a jail outside of Jackson, Mississippi, has left a community in disbelief. The families are angry they were never notified of the deaths and how their loved ones are buried in graves marked by just a metal rod and a number. Amna Nawaz discussed the disturbing details that have emerged with Bettersten Wade and attorney Ben Crump.
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Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...

Hundreds of bodies found buried behind Mississippi jail
Clip: 1/10/2024 | 7m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
The discovery of 215 bodies buried in unmarked graves behind a jail outside of Jackson, Mississippi, has left a community in disbelief. The families are angry they were never notified of the deaths and how their loved ones are buried in graves marked by just a metal rod and a number. Amna Nawaz discussed the disturbing details that have emerged with Bettersten Wade and attorney Ben Crump.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipjail outside of Jackson, Mississippi,# has left a community in disbelief.
The families are angry their loved ones# were buried in so-called pauper's graves## marked by just a metal rod and a number# and families were never notified of their## deaths.
The startling revelation came months# after the mother of 37-year-old Dexter Wade## filed a missing persons report last March.# It wasn't until August when Bettersten Wade## learned her son had been hit by a police car# and killed, then buried in that same cemetery.
For more about this case and the disturbing# details that have emerged since then,## I am joined now by Bettersten Wade# and civil rights attorney Ben Crump,## who is representing her and other families.
Welcome to you both.
Ms. Wade, and thank you for joining us.
BETTERSTEN WADE, Mother of# Dexter Wade: AMNA NAWAZ: I understand, that your son was missing several times, even# after he had been buried without your knowledge.
Give us a sense of what they told# you over those many months and what## those months were like for you,# not knowing where your son was.
BETTERSTEN WADE: Well, it was devastating# to me, because I didn't know wh And then I was calling them.
They didn't# have no information to let me know,## have they found any information?
All# the details that I gave them for leads,## they never came back to me to say, well, that lead# led to something that we can work with.
And I just## couldn't believe that he had disappeared off# the face of Earth and nobody knows where he at.
And it was just horrible for me.
And every# day I wake up, I just want -- I just look,## look, look, just looking for him, just# out in the streets looking for him.
And,## I mean, that's heartbreaking for# a mother, and can't say hello,## don't know how to get in touch with him.# That is a horrible thing for a mother.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mr. Crump, after it was# discovered that Dexter had been killed,## that he had been buried in this grave,## his body was exhumed in November.
There was an# autopsy conducte But I also understand a wallet was# found in his front pocket with his I.D.,## his home address, his insurance card.# What's the explanation officials give## for why no one was notified# he had been killed and buried?
BENJAMIN CRUMP, Attorney For Wade# and Other Families: There really## They claimed that they tried to reach out to# Ms. Be Bettersten is the named plaintiff in# a lawsuit against the Jackson Police## Department, because they killed her# brother three years earlier.
Now,## she went through two criminal trials,# had several press conferences.
So when they called her house, if they# did call her house, like they claim,## they knew where she lived.
They knew how to get in# contact with her if they really wanted to notify## her that her son Dex had been hit by a police# car.
So it is very suspicious that they would## just bury him in a pauper's grave because they# said they could not identify his next of kin.
Ms. Bettersten does not accept it.
And# because of her tenacity, it has exposed## all of these loved ones being dropped in# a hole in a bag behind a Mississippi jail.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mr. Crump, the Jackson# mayor did say there were mistakes.## He also just said that Dexter Wade's# death was a tragic acciden there was no malicious intent# in failing to notify the family.
We know the police department has new# notification procedures right re course are you specifically seeking right now# in these -- for these families you represent?
BENJAMIN CRUMP: We're seeking to have the# federal Department of Justice come in and## do an investigation to make sure that# each and every one of these citizens,## disproportionately Black citizens,# whose lives matter will be identified,## their families notified, and# them given a proper funeral.
AMNA NAWAZ: And I should say, Ms. Wade,# I mentioned families because you are## not alone here.
There's been in the last few# months the discovery 40-year-old Mario Moore and 39-year-old# Jonathan Hankins were also killed and## buried in that same cemetery and their# families not notified for months.
From your perspective, Ms. Wade,# what do you want to see happen now?
BETTERSTEN WADE: Well, first of all,# I feel like that the city need to give## me an acknowledgement to say that, hey,# I'm sorry.
I mean, just give me some kind## of closure and explain to me what actually# happened to my son on that freeway that night.
How did it actually occur, you know, just# what went down, the events that went down## with it?
And I want to see justice.
I want to# see justice done for this, because it's wrong.## It's wrong to take somebody's child and bury# them in a field and take -- and I didn't even## get a last chance to say anything to my child,# or I didn't even get a last chance to just say,## babe, I love you, just to look down# on them and say, babe, I love you.
They haven't even came and called me and said,# Ms. Wade, could you come down to you what happened?
I mean, I haven't even got# a word.
And so how do that feel?
That makes you## feel like they are guilty.
They are guilty of a# crime, because they can't tell you what happened.
AMNA NAWAZ: Ms. Wade, do I understand# correctly that the mayor, no one from## the police department has reached out to# you to explain what happened to BE TTERSTEN WADE: No, no one have reached# out to me to say -- to explain it,## to explain what happened to my son.
But I did at least have city supervisor to say that they hated what happened to me.
But# I haven't had said anything -- nobody from JPD,## Jackson Police Department, have# came to me and acknowledged me.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mr. Crump, the story gets even# more disturbing with this discovery of 215## bodies in that cemetery.
What# do we know about those bodies?
BENJAMIN CRUMP: We know, based on the records# from the coroner's office, that, since 2016,## in the last eight years, we can identify 215# individuals that were buried behind that jail,## and their families have not been notified.
Furthermore, Mr. Wade was number 672.# That means there are 671 buried behind that jail marked with only a number.
AMNA NAWAZ: Mr. Crump and Ms. Bettersten Wade,# I thank you so much for joining us tonight.
I## have a feeling we will be following up on# this story in the weeks and months ahead.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Appreciate it.
BENJAMIN CRUMP: Thank you.
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