A Mississippi man struck by an off-duty officer driving a police cruiser, buried without family knowledge, then exhumed without relatives present had identification on him, despite claims that he did not, a family attorney said Thursday following an independent autopsy.
Dexter Wade’s family has expressed outrage over not being contacted or informed of his death, and city officials have defended the lack of contact by saying they didn’t immediately know Wade’s identity because he carried no ID. But the independent autopsy results debunk the city’s claims by stating Wade, 37, was in fact carrying identification and the family could have been promptly notified.
Wade’s body was “completely ran over” by the cruiser, with multiple blunt force injuries to his skull, ribs and pelvis, and his left leg was amputated, civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump said. He cited the findings of pathologist Frank Peretti, who was hired by the family. The body was also in an “advanced state of decomposition” and had not been embalmed, Crump said.
A wallet in the front pocket of his jeans contained his state identification card with his home address, along with his credit card and health insurance card, Crump said.
“The fact that Dexter had a state identification card and several other identifying items shows us that there was a concerted effort to keep the truth and manner of his death from his family,” Crump said. “There is no excuse, not even incompetence, for not…
