A Black mother in Mississippi who found out her son was fatally run over by a police officer several months after his disappearance has now retained legal assistance on the matter.

Jackson’s WJTV reported that attorney Ben Crump is representing Bettersten Wade, who reached out to authorities after her son, Dexter Wade, went missing in March. It wasn’t until the case was turned over to a new investigator that she found out about his tragic passing. Made even more harrowing is the fact that the Jackson Police Department had the 37-year-old buried in a common grave among unclaimed bodies – all as Bettersten continued a frantic search. Once she learned the news, she had to pay $250 in order to claim her son’s body and wait several weeks for the gravesite to be located.

“Dexter’s story is a living nightmare for any mother. ​​The secrecy surrounding his death, the alleged concealment of vital information, and the callous burial in a pauper’s field without his mother’s knowledge are not just oversights, they are a grave miscarriage of justice,” said Crump in an official statement shared on social media. “The fact that Dexter’s tragic end involved an off-duty police officer only deepens the wounds of this community and raises troubling questions about the integrity of those entrusted with upholding the law.”

He continued, “In the face of this tragedy, we stand with Bettersten Wade and demand transparency, accountability, and justice for Dexter. Every life deserves dignity and every grieving mother deserves the truth. We will not rest until the full truth is revealed, and those responsible for this injustice are held accountable. Dexter’s memory will not be forgotten, and his story will fuel our fight for a fair and just society where every life is valued and protected, regardless of who they are.”