Gretchen Hankins was in bed on a Friday night in May 2022 when her 39-year-old son leaned down with a hug and kiss and told her he was going to meet friends for the weekend. He promised to return in time for Sunday dinner. He didn't come home. Gretchen searched for her son for months – until @nbcnews discovered he'd been buried in a pauper's field. For Jonathan's relatives, learning the news turned the pain of not knowing into grief and anger — anger at the people who didn’t do their jobs, anger at the months spent wondering if he was dead or alive, anger at being unable to properly mourn. Jonathan was buried in the same field as Dexter Wade and Marrio Moore, two other men in Jackson who were buried without their families’ knowledge. The Hankins family has joined a growing list of people failed by a system that is supposed to ensure that relatives are told when a loved one has died and are given a chance to hold a proper funeral. Read more at the link in bio. 📷️ @ashleighcoleman f...