Mississippi Woman Learns Her Son Was Killed By Police Then Buried Nearly 6 Months After Filing Missing Person Report

Dexter Wade, Bettersten Wade

Mississippi Woman Learns Her Son Was Killed By Police Then Buried Nearly 6 Months After Filing Missing Person Report

One woman’s search for her missing son ended with a heart-wrenching discovery.

Mississippi native Bettersten Wade says her son Dexter Wade was killed by a police officer and quietly buried without her knowledge, despite authorities knowing her son’s identity.

Bettersten Wade

The saga began after 37-year-old Dexter Wade went missing on March 5th. He reportedly hurried from his mother’s home following an argument they had. Bettersten Wade says she grew concerned upon not hearing from her child for several days after the verbal dispute but was hesitant to report him missing. The Jackson resident has a sour relationship with police following her brother’s murder by an officer back in 2019, who is currently appealing a manslaughter conviction.

However, after Dexter’s two teen daughters relentlessly asked about their father’s whereabouts, Bettersten says she decided to file the missing person report on March 14th.

Decter Wade & daughters

The next several months would be excruciating for the Wade family as they waited to hear anything about Dexter’s whereabouts. Bettersten says within the 172 days it took to finally be told what happened, she pleaded with several investigators about her son’s case and was repeatedly told there were no updates. It wasn’t until recently she learned that not only had her son been fatally struck by a vehicle driven by an off-duty officer, but authorities had knowledge of who he was the entire time and failed to contact her.

According to a police report, Dexter was walking on the interstate about an hour after leaving his mother’s home on March 5th and was hit by the off-duty cop. The corporal who recorded the incident reportedly did not give the officer a field sobriety test, and Dexter’s death was ruled an incident. The medical examiner was immediately able to identify the body due to Dexter’s criminal record. However, the coroner says they weren’t able to contact Bettersten and left a voicemail, subsequently handing her information over to authorities.

Somehow, Dexter’s body remained unclaimed, triggering a protocol to have his body buried in a common grave. Bettersten says she never received a phone call or voicemail on her son’s death. It seems she assumes the information was withheld from her purposely due to a grudge the police have, stemming from the situation with her brother. She reportedly told news outlets:

“They had me looking for him all that time, and they knew who he was,”

Dexter Wade

Adding:

“The hardest thing I ever had to do is tell my girls that their dad is never coming back…I just want someone to answer for what happened.”

Currently, Bettersten is raising money to have Dexter’s remains exhumed so that she can give her son a “proper burial.” She’s started a GoFundMe for Dexter and has already reached $7,200 of the $100,000 goal.

[VIA]

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