A man escaped Sudan’s bloody civil war. His mysterious death in Missisippi has sparked suspicion

JACKSON, ma’am. — As a child, Dau Mabil escaped war-torn Sudan and built a new life in Mississippi. This month, fishermen found the body of 33-year-old Mabil floating in a river, prompting calls for a federal investigation into his disappearance and death.

Mabil, who lived with his wife in Jackson, went missing in broad daylight on March 25 after taking a walk on a trail connecting the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum to other city attractions. His brother, Bul Mabil, cast doubt on the initial autopsy results released Thursday, which the sheriff said showed no signs of foul play.

Bul Mabil said he is dissatisfied with the way authorities handled the case.

“I can’t believe this would happen to someone who came here from a war-torn country,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. ‘I expected a much better government in this country. But this is the way the United States operates. It’s so terrible.”

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, whose district includes Jackson, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a Justice Department investigation. Thompson said civil rights groups had contacted his office about the case, and his letter described Mabil as an “African man, who is married to Ms. Karissa Bowley, a white woman.”

Family members and concerned citizens searched for weeks for Dau Mabil, who was captured by a surveillance camera along the path. In an interview, Bul Mabil said he raced from his home in Houston to Jackson on March 26 after a family friend heard of his brother’s death. He said he began investigating the case himself, along with the Capitol Police, a state law enforcement agency that operates in part of Jackson.

At the same time, Bowley led rallies and information campaigns on behalf of her missing husband, asking for the public’s help in finding him. She did not respond to a text or phone call requesting comment.

Fishermen spotted a body on April 13 in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Jackson. Days later, officials confirmed the remains were those of Dau Mabil.

Bul Mabil said his brother’s death was devastating for him and his mother, who still lives in a refugee camp.

The brothers were among thousands of young refugees brought to the U.S. during their country’s bloody civil war. After they arrived, Julie Hines Mabus, the ex-wife of former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus, started a foundation that helped the children settle in Jackson. She described Dau Mabil as “gentle, a smile on his face, a little twinkle in his eye.”

“To get here was miraculous and for Bul to get his brother here was even more miraculous,” Hines Mabus told the AP. “It felt a bit like coming home. And now that Bul has to face this with his brother, it’s just heartbreaking.

Bul Mabil filed emergency legal papers to ensure that his brother’s body would not be released to Bowley and her family until an autopsy was performed by both the state crime lab and an independent medical examiner. On Thursday, Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas granted the request, paused the release of the body and ordered a second autopsy.

In a subsequent court filing, Bowley’s attorney said her client “embraces” the judge’s order for an additional autopsy, provided it is not conducted until all law enforcement agencies have completed their investigation.

Bul Mabil cast doubt on a statement from Lawrence County Sheriff Ryan Everett, who first reported the results of the first autopsy on Thursday. Everett said the autopsy did not reveal any foul play, but an official determination could be made later, pending further testing.

Bailey Martin, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, said the state crime lab conducted the autopsy. The department expects to receive DNA confirmation next week.

Bul Mabil’s lawyers said they hope an independent autopsy can be conducted within next week.

Capitol Police conducted an “inadequate” investigation, Bul Mabil said. One of those lawyers, Carlos Tanner, said his client remained “in the dark about the suspicious circumstances” surrounding his brother’s disappearance and death.

Vallena Greer, a Jackson woman who took in and raised Dau Mabil, said he was doing well in America. He received a school award for his improved English speaking skills and was a talented footballer.

At the time of his disappearance, Dau Mabil was working as a manager at a restaurant in Jackson and planned to return to school to earn a degree in computer science.

“He did a good job of what America wants immigrants to be,” Bul Mabil said. “We called Mississippi our second home. We never knew something like this would happen to one of us.”

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Michael Goldberg is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.