The family of Dexter Wade endures one last dishonor as his body is unceremoniously exhumed.

Wade, 37, was struck and killed by a police car in Jackson, Mississippi, in March. His mother didn’t learn what happened until months later.

RAYMOND, Miss. — Bettersten Wade was expecting Monday to bring closure, but instead, she faced further distress.

Wade, along with her attorneys, had coordinated with Hinds County authorities to exhume her son Dexter Wade, 37, who was fatally hit by a Jackson police officer and interred at a pauper’s field in the county penal farm unbeknownst to her. They had agreed on a time of 11:30 a.m. on Monday, with a confirmation from a county attorney the day before.

However, upon her arrival at the penal farm, dressed in mourning black, she discovered that her son’s body had already been exhumed, placed in a body bag, and loaded into a Chevy Suburban. According to county officials, a public works team had arrived earlier and removed the remains before anyone else.

Once again, Bettersten Wade felt excluded from decisions regarding her son.

Expressing her feelings, she said, “It makes me feel like I don’t exist. Being his mother didn’t seem to matter to them. They behaved as if they owned the rights to my child, making decisions about him without considering me. I felt like I had no rights or voice in the matter.”

For Bettersten Wade, the process of exhuming her son added to an already painful experience that started on March 5, the last day she saw her son leave their Jackson home. Nine days later, she reported him missing to the Jackson police. For months, missing persons investigators told her they had no information about his whereabouts.

In late August, she was informed by officers that her son had been hit by a Jackson police car while crossing a six-lane highway shortly after he left home. The Hinds County coroner’s office later revealed to her that his body, unclaimed for months, was buried in a pauper’s field. Wade paid $250 to claim her son’s remains and started planning a dignified funeral.

The situation drew widespread attention and condemnation following a report by NBC News last month. Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Dennis Sweet took up her cause, assisting with organizing the exhumation, an independent autopsy, and a funeral.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has acknowledged the city’s mishandling of Dexter Wade’s death, attributing it to a miscommunication and denying any ill intent. The Jackson Police Department has not commented on inquiries regarding the case.

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors had to authorize the exhumation, which they did on November 6. Following this, on November 7, the board’s lawyer, Tony Gaylor, sent a letter to Dennis Sweet, confirming the exhumation was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Monday. Gaylor’s letter specified that the body would be exhumed under the supervision of representatives from the Hinds County Sheriff Department, the Coroner’s office, and the funeral home designated to receive the body.

Tyree Jones, the Sheriff of Hinds County who oversees the penal farm, explained that a Public Works Department team arrived early in the morning to carry out the exhumation. This department is in charge of grave digging and maintaining the pauper’s field. The team, assisted by detainees from the county jail, proceeded to exhume the body before the scheduled time.

Following the exhumation, the site of Dexter Wade’s grave, identified only by the marker ‘672,’ was neatly refilled and leveled.

David Archie, a Hinds County Board of Supervisors member, sought clarification from the county’s Public Works Department regarding the early exhumation. He was informed that a “miscommunication” led to the premature excavation. “They arrived early and proceeded as they did,” Archie commented.

The Public Works Department has not yet responded to requests for a statement.

Dennis Sweet expressed frustration, stating, “The ongoing disrespect towards this family is evident.”

Ben Crump raised concerns about the early exhumation, noting that it leaves questions about the state in which Dexter Wade’s body was buried. According to information from Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart, the unembalmed remains were placed in a bag and then a box, which was supposedly left behind at the time of exhumation. However, Crump expressed skepticism about the remains being placed in a box.

He interpreted the private nature of the exhumation as another sign of the authorities’ lack of transparency regarding Dexter Wade’s death and its handling.

Crump likened the situation to a secretive act, saying, “Like a thief in the night, they removed the body from the ground.”

He questioned the authorities’ motives, asking, “What are they trying to conceal?”

The relocation of Dexter Wade’s body took place not at the pauper’s field but further along the road, next to the horse stable of the penal farm. Here, amidst the inconvenience of manure, observers gathered. A pastor offered a prayer, seeking strength for Bettersten Wade and her family as they navigated this challenging time.

Amidst tears, Wade expressed her frustration and grief.

Challenging the assurances of unintentional actions, she questioned, “You all keep saying this wasn’t done on purpose, but how can this feel unintentional to me? How would you feel if it was your child? Is this the way the system is supposed to operate?”

Then the time came to transfer her son’s remains — now in a new, black body bag — from the coroner’s SUV to the hearse of the funeral home. Overwhelmed with sorrow, Wade reached towards what remained of her son, exclaiming in anguish, “Oh, my God. God have mercy. Dexter, I’m so sorry.”

The hearse drove away. She walked slowly back to her car, supported by one of her daughters.

“I’m still not at peace, because I don’t know what happened to him,” Wade said. “But he is going to be peaceful when he’s in a proper grave.”