The longtime elected coroner in Hinds County, Mississippi, who faced withering criticism last year for burying men in pauper's graves without notifying their families, is stepping down early.
Sharon Grisham-Stewart, a Democrat, announced Monday that she would retire Dec. 31, three years before the end of her current term.
The mother of one of those men, Jonathan Hankins, confronted Grisham-Stewart in February at the county's pauper's field.
And the Justice Department stepped in, saying it would help authorities in Hinds County and Jackson improve their death notification procedures.
Grisham-Stewart was first elected as Hinds County coroner in 1999 and last won re-election in 2023.
Persons:
Sharon Grisham, Stewart, Grisham, Jonathan Hankins, Gretchen Hankins, Jackson, Robert Graham, Graham, She's, Dexter Wade, Marrio Moore, Hankins
Organizations:
Democrat, NBC, WLBT, Supervisors, Police, Justice Department, of Supervisors, NBC News
Locations:
Hinds County , Mississippi, Hinds, Jackson, Hinds County