Rexdale Henry. Photo from Facebook
Rexdale Henry, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians was murdered in the Neshoba County jail, was laid to rest last Friday. Henry, 53, was killed on July 14, a day after he was booked into the jail. His cellmate during the time, Justin Schlegel, 34, has been charged with murder Despite the investigation and a completed autopsy, officials have not released the cause of death in the case. His family has been seeking answers ever since they found out Henry died. "You see how everyone is still standing around the grave?" John Steele, a friend and activist who is acting as the family's spokesperson, told The Jackson Free Press. "Normally after the benediction, people leave, but not today. This one feels different. I think it's the not knowing."
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:
Trail of Tears: The Burial of Rexdale Henry (The Jackson Free Press 8/5)
Earlier Neshoba Jail Death Raises Questions (The Jackson Free Press 8/5)
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