Overview

• 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.