Rexdale Henry Photo from Facebook
Family and friends of a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians who died while in custody are seeking answers. Rexdale Wayne Henry, 53, died on July 14, just a day after being placed in the Neshoba County jail. The state has conducted an autopsy but the results haven't been released, WTOK reported. In the meantime, family and friends are hoping to gain more insight with a private autopsy. An anonymous donor paid for the examination, which is being conducted in Florida, The Jackson Free Press reported. “At a time when the nation is focused on the terrible circumstances of the brutal death of Sandra Bland, it is critical to expose the many ways in which Black Americans, Native Americans and other minorities are being arrested for minor charges and end up dead in jail cells," Syracuse University law professor Janis McDonald said in a statement, the paper reported.
The Neshoba County jail is located at 920 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Image from Google Maps
Henry was the second person to die in the Neshoba County jail within the past year. The widow of Michael McDougle has filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against the county sheriff and the police department in Philadelphia, a city near the reservation. Henry was an activist and a recent candidate for tribal council. He worked at the tribe's main gaming facility. "Rexdale Henry was one of the nicest people I have ever met," a friend said on Tributes.Com. "I never once Heard him lift his voice and anger or even speak loud for that matter. He was someone everyone got along with." Get the Story:
Death of Choctaw Activist Rexdale Henry in Neshoba Jail Prompts Private Autopsy (The Jackson Free Press 7/25)
Henry Family Seeks Independent Autopsy (WTOK 5/24)
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