Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba spoke publicly about the mishandling of Dexter Wade’s death, blaming miscommunication for not notifying his family promptly, resulting in Wade’s burial in an unmarked pauper’s grave when authorities knew his identity.

Authorities said an off-duty Jackson police officer driving a patrol vehicle struck Wade, 37, while he was walking across a six-lane highway on March 5. His mother reported him missing on March 14, but the police didn’t notify her of his death until Aug. 24 and took her to his gravesite in early October.

After NBC News published an investigative report on Oct. 25, which put the case in the national spotlight, Lumumba’s office emailed a statement to NBC News with condolences to Wade’s family and stating that “there was miscommunication but there was no malicious intent anywhere in this whole situation.”

Lumumba reiterated that message on Oct. 26 during his annual State of the City address.

“There was a lack of communication with the missing person’s division, the coroner’s office and accident investigation, and because of that, Mr. Wade, they were unable to find his family within an expeditious period of time,” Lumumba said in a video of the speech posted by local station WAPT.

Wade’s mother, Bettersten Wade, was not convinced that miscommunication was at fault, speculating that the mishandling of the case may have been “a vendetta.”

NBC News reported that Wade’s family is in the middle of a lawsuit involving the city over the police fatal beating of Bettersten Wade’s brother in 2019. The city has denied the allegations, saying it isn’t liable.

According to the city, police investigators could not identify Wade because he didn’t have any identification. However, a Hinds County Coroner's Office investigator identified Wade from a medical prescription bottle in his pocket. But the contact information obtained from the medical provider’s office was outdated.

"Missing persons officers did not know that the pedestrian victim from March 5 was the same person reported missing March 14. The lead detective in the missing person’s case continued to investigate until he retired in July," Melissa Faith Payne, with the city of Jackson, said in the statement, according to WAPT.

"A second officer began a follow-up investigation in August that led back to the coroner’s office. Through collaborative efforts, they were able to close the missing person’s case, by identifying Dexter Wade as the pedestrian who was killed March 5."

But NBC News reported previously that coroner’s investigator LaGrand Elliot said he confirmed Wade’s identification on March 9, when the state crime lab said his fingerprints matched those it had on file for Wade. He passed all the information he gathered to the Jackson Police Department’s accident investigation unit in March so it could notify Wade’s mother.

During his speech, Lumumba emphasized that no investigation revealed police misconduct or malicious intent.

"It is tragic to lose your child. It is tragic to suffer the consequences of having to bury your child before you pass. But to add insult to that trauma, it is even more difficult to not have the ability to have a proper burial for your child. And for that we regret a circumstance that Mr. Wade's family has had to deal with," Lumumba said.

Meanwhile, Wade’s family has retained civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who announced Monday (Oct. 31) that he would seek a federal investigation.

“The family does not have trust in the Mississippi officials. And would you after this happened to your brother, your child?” he said, according to local station WLBT.

“And then you have the Mississippi Attorney General trying to overturn the conviction by jury because they convicted the police officer for killing your brother. How could you have faith that they’re going to do right now?”