M.S. coroner that buried men without telling families shares notification policy
The Hinds County, Mississippi, coroner's office, under fire for burying people in pauper’s graves without their families’ knowledge, released an undated policy on death notifications.
This article is part of “Lost Rites,” a series on America’s failed death notification system.
A Mississippi coroner’s office under fire for burying people in pauper’s graves without their families’ knowledge has released a policy on death notifications that is unsigned and undated, making it impossible to know whether the guidance was in effect while the office was handling the botched cases.
The policy includes provisions that, if they were in effect over the past two years, appear to have been disregarded by Hinds County coroner’s office investigators.
The coroner’s office has not responded to questions about the policy, which the county provided to NBC News this month in response to a public records request.
Revelations about the failed notifications, documented by NBC News, have stoked widespread public outrage and calls for a federal investigation.
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