Karissa Bowley and her family say they support all efforts to find justice for the late Dau Mabil, one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan who came to Jackson in 2000 despite implications by others to the contrary. 

“Dau was special before he ever married me,” his widow told reporters in a Friday press conference. “I'm just here, missing him.”

Mabil, a 33-year-old Belhaven Heights resident, disappeared March 25. He was seen on video surveillance on Jefferson Street between Fortification and High streets, and at one point went to the Museum Trail to check on corn he planted. 

Bowley searched for her husband with others. “The whole ordeal has been frustrating and tragic,” she said. “I wouldn't wish it on anybody.”

Three weeks after his disappearance, a fisherman spotted a body floating in the Pearl River near Lawrence County, more than 50 miles away. By April 18, a preliminary autopsy had revealed the body belonged to Mabil. The Lawrence County sheriff said there was no evidence of foul play. Her family said Friday that authorities told them they are waiting on toxicology tests before finalizing the official autopsy.

Bowley said it wasn't unusual for Dau to leave without his phone and his identification.

Texts contained in court records reveal a strained relationship between Bowley and Mabil. Bowley complained that Mabil was “drinking a lot,” and Mabil complained that Bowley “does not know how to control her emotions.”

Bowley's brother, Spencer, responded Friday, “No marriage is perfect, and theirs wasn't either.”

But he said the allegation that Bowley or the family had anything to do with Mabil's disappearance is simply false.

He said some claimed on social media that Bowley contacted police just 30 minutes after Mabil disappeared or that she waited until the next day. He said both claims are entirely false.

Bowley said there is a void where her husband once was. “Grief is your body, mind and spirit saying no,” she said, “but the reality is still there.”

After the state finishes its investigation, official autopsy results will be released to Bowley and Mabil's brother, Bul, according to a court order. 

Bul Mabil recently won the right to have an independent autopsy performed on Dau's remains.

Bowley's family said they support all efforts by Bul Mabil and others to find justice.

“I'm feeling very deeply the loss of Dau. I keep pushing for justice for Dau,” Bowley said. “He's a person I care to honor the rest of my life.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi Today is pleased to announce that Gwen Dilworth has joined the community health team at Mississippi Today.

Dilworth is a native of Durham, North Carolina, and most recently completed a fellowship at The Times-Independent in Moab, Utah, where she covered local government and Southeast Utah's mining industry. Before that, she worked at Innocence Project New Orleans where she advocated for people serving long sentences for nonviolent crimes.

“Gwen is not only a fantastic writer but an impressive investigator with a diverse skill set and a knack for ensuring accuracy,” said Kate Royals, community health editor at Mississippi Today. “Mississippi is lucky to have her here.”

Dilworth also served as a fact checker for Boyce Upholt's book “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi” and freelanced for local news publication The Mid-City Messenger in New Orleans.

“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to cover a beat that is so important and connected to Mississippians' daily lives,” said Dilworth. “I'm thrilled to be joining a team of passionate and talented journalists covering critical topics in the state with thoughtfulness and care. I'm looking forward to learning from and being a part of such a vibrant and welcoming community.” 

Dilworth will report on the intersection of health and criminal justice, among other areas of the health beat.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

JUNE 14, 1965

The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party organized a one-mile silent march, starting at Morning Star Baptist Church and ending at the Mississippi Capitol, where lawmakers were contemplating changes in voting laws. 

Jackson police arrested the marchers, more than half of them students from Lanier High School. Over the next few weeks, more than 1,000 were arrested and held in livestock pens at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. 

During the protest, 5-year-old Anthony Quin waved a U.S. flag outside the Governor's Mansion. Matt Herron's photograph of state trooper Huey Krohn trying to wrestle the flag from Quin's hands ran in The New York Times and other newspapers across the U.S. Quin later said that his mother had told him to hold onto that flag for dear life — and he did. 

On June 30, a three-judge panel of the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the release of those arrested and barred the city of Jackson from making any further arrests. 

Despite Quin's young age, this wasn't his first brush with the civil rights movement. A month before this photo was taken, his family's home was firebombed in McComb because of their work in the movement. He and his sisters went on to become the first students to integrate McComb public schools. 

From those days of fighting racism on a day-by-day basis, Quin learned to care for students. He became a principal of several different elementary schools before becoming an administrator over the schools. In 2015, he died of pancreatic cancer.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.