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Three Mississippi families had no idea their missing loved ones were buried in a county pauper's field, according to a recent news report.
One grave was labeled "645," for Jonathan David Hankins, a 39-year-old Rankin County man who disappeared in May 2022.
The mystery wasn't what happened to Hankins. He was found dead in a hotel three days after he left home. It was likely an overdose.
But his mom didn't know anything about her missing son until Dec. 4 — almost 19 months after his disappearance — when an NBC News reporter investigating the case told her that her son was buried at the Hinds County Penal Farm.
Jonathan David Hankins, 39, died in May 2022 and was buried in a Mississippi pauper field, and his mother was not notified for almost 19 months. (Rankin County Sheriff's Office)
Hankins was buried in a pauper's field, which is typically used for deceased individuals without surviving family.
Except Hankins' mother was still alive, but she was never notified despite months of followup calls to the Rankin County Sheriff's Office, where Hankins was reported missing, NBC News reported.
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The sheriff's office posted missing person posters about Hankins on its social media page and reportedly continued to search for the father of a young girl in August 2022, without knowing he was already buried in the Hinds County Penal Farm.
The families of Dexter Wade and Marrio Moore went through similar nightmares. Wade died after being hit by a police car, and Moore was beaten to death.
As with Hankins, Wade's and Moore's deaths were handled by the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner's Office, which failed to notify their families and buried them in the pauper's field.
"It feels like they threw him away like trash," Jeannie Jones, Hankins' aunt, told NBC News. "No caring. No feeling."
Jonathan Hankins was reported missing in Mississippi before his family learned he was buried. (Rankin County Sheriff's Office)
Hankins' mother, Gretchen Hankins, told the news outlet she was never notified about her only son's death.
"I want people to know that somebody is not doing their job and making folks go through what I’ve been through," she told NBC News. "Going that dang long and not calling people, that’s just inhumane. It’s wrong. It’s just wrong."
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Agencies' responses
Fox News Digital left messages for the Rankin County Sheriff's Office, the Jackson Police Department and the Hinds County Coroner's Office, but none of the agencies immediately responded.
But Melissa Faith Payne, a spokesperson for Jackson Police, told NBC News the department was not responsible for contacting family members after recovering Hankins' body.
"From the scene, the victim’s body was immediately turned over to the Hinds County Coroner’s Office for further investigation, including an autopsy," Payne said in a statement.
"To this day, the Jackson Police Department has had no further communication with the Hinds County Coroner’s office concerning this case. We were never notified of the victim’s cause of death or identity."
At least three people were buried in a pauper field in Hinds County Penal Farm in Mississippi without families being notified, according to a news report. (Google Street View)
Jason Ware, a lawyer representing the Rankin County Sheriff's Office, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that officers tried to find her son.
"We still had this individual listed as a missing person as of last week," Ware said in the statement. "Gretchen [Hankins] went to the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office [on July 14, 2022, stated that Jonathan was last seen on May 20, 2022, and] an investigator took a missing persons report."
Further, "the sheriff’s office announced the search for Jonathan on Facebook, shared the case with local media and posted his information to a national law enforcement database," Ware said.
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Gretchen Hankins reportedly reached out to civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who arranged for Wade's exhumation for a proper burial. Crump is also representing Moore's family.
"Families that report a loved one missing deserve immediate and accurate answers," Crump said in a statement to NBC News. "We will work to unearth the truth about what happened to Jonathan and to seek justice for his family."
