215 bodies found in unmarked graves behind Mississippi jail

Reverend Hosea Hines, a senior pastor, and Attorney Ben Crump have called for an investigation following the alarming discovery of 215 multiracial bodies in a pauper's cemetery behind a jail in Hinds County, Mississippi. Relatives of the deceased, who were previously thought missing, are now distressed over the burial situation and fees for exhuming their loved ones for a proper burial.

During a press conference at the Stronger Hope Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, Crump was accompanied by relatives of three deceased individuals. Gretchen Hankins (white), Mary Moore Glenn (Black), and Betterstem Wade each held photos of their sons, expressing shock at their burial behind the jail.

Crump, alongside co-counsel Dennis Sweet, is demanding answers as to why the deaths weren't investigated and why efforts weren't made to locate next of kin. The deceased were buried in a pauper's grave, marked only by a metal rod and a number.