Lawrence County Sheriff says no foul play.
A Hinds County Chancellor ordered the state crime lab to conduct an autopsy on the body of a man found floating in the Pearl River recently. The identity of the deceased is the missing Dau Mabil.
Dau Mabil disappeared on March 25 when he went for a walk. Police and volunteers have searched for the missing Sal & Mookies employee who was well-known in the Belhaven community.
Bul Mabil, Dau's brother, filed a petition for an emergency temporary restraining order yesterday in Hinds County Chancery Court against Dau's wife, Karrisa Bowley, the Mississippi State Crime Lab, Capitol Police, and several John Does.
Dau's body was found in the Pearl River in Lawrence County last weekend. The body is at the state crime lab. Fearing the body might be released without an autopsy, Mabil stated in his petition:
Upon information and belief, Plaintiffs brother has now been determined to be deceased and an investigation is ongoing. Plaintiff is requesting that this Honorable Court pause the release of the remains of Dau Garang Mabil so that crucial evidence will not be exterminated.
Unless an Emergency Temporary Restraining Order and subsequent Preliminary Injunction is issued, Plaintiff and his family will suffer irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law.
Chancellor Dewayne Thomas held a brief hearing this morning on the petition. Attorneys Lisa Ross and Carlos Tanner represented Bul Mabil. None of the defendants, including Dau's wife, appeared in court although they were all properly noticed.
Ms. Ross said Bul feared his brother's remains would be released without an autopsy. "This is an emergency matter. If the body is released, it could be mishandled," said the lawyer . Ross asked the Chancellor to order the state to conduct an autopsy. No objections were submitted to the Court.
Judge Thomas approved the request. His order states:
Given the nature of Mr. Mabil's disappearance and the location of the body found, it is likely that an autopsy will be required to determine if foul play was involved. There fore, this Court finds that Plaintiff is substantially likely to prevail on the merits of at least some claims. ...
If the human remains found are released without autopsy, any potential evidence will be compromised. Similarly, there is indication that the human remains will be cremated upon release. The same will render any forensic investigation impossible. Absent court interference, Plaintiff will be unable to determine the cause of his brother's death. This Court finds that Plaintiffs injuries will be irreparable.
The Chancellor ordered the Mississippi State Crime Lab to perform an autopsy on the body. Bul can obtain an independent autopsy as well but he must bear the cost for it.
After the hearing, Bul and his attorneys held a press conference at the entrance to the Museum Trail where Bul allegedly disappeared.
Ross said they believe the body found in the Pearl River was Dau Mabil. She asked the Capitol Police to identify and perform an autopsy on the body.
Bul said Dau was 9 years-old when he fled the Sudanese civil war to America. He graduated from high school and earned an Associate's Degree in computer networking. "He was good in everything he does," said the brother. He was planning to go back to school at Jackson State University to complete his degree.
Dau's older brother did not receive a call Dau went missing until more than a day later. Bul said "he does everything with his wife" and was surprised he went walking alone.
Tanner asked the public to help with the case. He said it would be difficult for no one to have seen anything. Ross said they "had evidence that put Dau on this trail."
Ross said they think several individuals removed Mabil's body from the trail. "He didn't deserve to die, this way," said Ross.
It has been confirmed this morning that the unidentified person located in Lawrence County, MS on April 13, 2024 is Dau Mabli of Jackson, MS. His family was notified earlier this morning. I wanted to make sure that the notification had been done prior to any type of news release. The autopsy DID NOT reveal any type of foul play. The official determination may be made at a later time pending further testing.
24 comments:
So the subtext to everything the brother and his lawyers are saying is that the wife is responsible or at least knows more than she is letting on
Who would murder this guy on the trail? One of the members of the homeless encampment down there?
I find it hard to believe a grown man was taken in broad daylight and disposed of in the Pearl River (yes, even in Jackson I still find it hard to believe).
There is more to this story.
I wonder if the family is going to apologize to the wife when it turns up no foul play?
I would bare the cost for an independent autopsy. Its faster and leaves no doubt if something was missed in the rush and backlog. We did an independent autopsy on a family member who passed away.
Glad the brother went to the court to ensure body is preserved and autopsy performed.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I wonder if the family is going to apologize to the wife when it turns up no foul play?
April 18, 2024 at 1:57 PM
Really? No foul play? I guess he just decided to take a swim, huh?
Ok, wait. Why did Lawrence County do an autopsy? "The official determination may be made at a later time pending further testing."
What in the world is going on here. Several days to ID body, Lawrence county does autopsy but no determination made as to how he died, body at Hinds County Coroner now, awaiting autopsy, etc.
How did this man get from a walking trail in Hinds County, alive, to Laurence County and deceased?
How can they complete an autopsy in less than a day?
3:19 Google "Map of the Pearl River in Mississippi" for your answer.
Bennie Thompson is calling on th U S Justice Department to investigate. That’s fine but I wonder why he doesn’t seem to have the same level of concern when something similar happens to white folks.
I think the wife should get a couple lawyers and go on tv a couple times and say the brother did it. Point some fingers the other way and really shake it up.
Just a thought, the trail ends at the low head dam, and it's really cool to look at, but a death sentence if you fall in there. And it's slick rocks down by the water. If unaware of the danger and careless, or worse pushed, they'd find you down river after the next rain.
@6:09
Agree with Benny T there, this will end up being a big case. I also saw our brilliant mayor inserting his opinion.
Is this case considered special because the man was not shot like most of the Jackson murders?
What else is going on here... ?
I don’t think they knew his body was found in Lawrence County as they never mentioned that fact, nor did they name the LCSO’s office as a defendant in the TRO pleading. They appear to only have heard his body was found in the Pearl River and formed a belief it was found near the Museum Trail. Understandable to want an autopsy, but any suspicion based on the fact Karissa Bowley wasn’t walking with him, as photos from that day shows, is a real sham, and a real shame.
Lawyers and Bennie got to make a living some way! Could he have crossed paths with the wrong people?
Who, in Lawrence County, performs autopsies? I looked in the phone book (yes, I know) and couldn't find anything but one veterinarian.
Obviously, this is above the High Sheriff's pay grade.
Be prepared for a long wait if depending on the Hinds County coroner. We had a relative pass away last September from natural causes. Took over 3 months to get a death certificate.
They CLAIM to have video of people loading a body into a pickup. They CLAIM.
In her interview, Attorney Ross claims he was killed just like Emmit Till.
Bennie Thompson has been asked to intercede.
Here you are, Kingfish, one of your “Can you spot the error” features.
WLBT reports:
“LAWRENCE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) - Authorities have confirmed that the body found in the Pearl River near Brookhaven is a man who went missing from Belhaven back in March.”
https://www.wlbt.com/2024/04/18/judge-orders-autopsy-body-found-pearl-river-believed-be-missing-belhaven-man/
You’re welcome.
Here if you need me.
Only reason Mayor and Benny Thompson are in front of the camera...
Ross, along with Mabil’s brother and foster mother, invoked the memory of Emmett Till in drawing comparisons between the two cases. “We know what happened to Emmett Till. He was dragged from his bed at midnight or in the late hours of the night. He was brutally murdered and tossed into the Tallahatchie River,” she said. “We are in Mississippi, and people might fault us for thinking that such a thing could happen again. But it happened once, and there are similarities to the story.”
@ 4:30 - Please note the similarities (plural) that you feel exist.
Other than a body winding up in the water, are there others? There are a double-handful of drownings in this state and along its rivers every year. How many of them include a gin fan and chain or a visit from race baiters?
When the race card gets played, someone is looking to get paid. The man bleeds red just like the rest of us. Too many times, the race card turns out as BS.
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