DOJ Offers Assistance to Mississippi in Reforming Death Notification Procedures

The Department of Justice will provide technical support to Mississippi authorities to improve the death notification system, following controversies over unmarked graves.

• The DOJ's assistance aims to address failures in notifying next-of-kin, which led to burials in unmarked graves without family knowledge.
• The initiative is a response to systemic issues highlighted by cases of missing individuals buried without their families being informed.
• Federal support includes training and policy recommendations for the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner’s Office.
• The move is not a finding of fault but seeks to ensure compliance with federal civil rights law and improve transparency.
• The assistance was prompted by national scrutiny over the death, burial, and exhumation of Dexter Wade and others.

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