Native American activist found dead in Mississippi jail after traffic fine arrest

Rexdale W. Henry, a Native American activist, was found dead in a Mississippi jail cell on July 14, 2015.

He’d been arrested five days earlier for failing to pay a minor traffic citation.

Details into the incident : Rexdale W. Henry

According to Concurrent News, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation confirmed it was “looking into” Henry’s death. The state crime lab in Jackson is also reportedly conducting an autopsy.

However, the official investigation did not satisfy Henry’s family, friends, or fellow activists. Following funeral services held July 19, Henry’s body was flown to Florida for a second, privately funded autopsy. Anonymous donors covered the cost in hopes of uncovering additional details.

Sandra Bland reference

Henry’s death occurred one day after Sandra Bland, a Black woman, was found dead in a Texas jail cell following a traffic stop. The timing and circumstances prompted comparisons and concern from civil rights advocates. Syracuse University law professors Janis McDonald and Paula Johnson of the Cold Case Justice Initiative stated, “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 people of color are being arrested for minor charges and end up dead in jail cells”.

Rexdale W. Henry was a Native American activist

Henry had recently run for a seat on the Choctaw Tribal Council from Bogue Chitto, just days before his arrest on July 9. He was widely known in his community and by law enforcement as a vocal advocate for Native rights and social justice.

The results of the independent autopsy have not yet been publicly released.