MILWAUKEE — The family of a 17-year-old is suing the City of Milwaukee in federal court, three years after the teen was found dead inside a car at the city's tow lot.
The lawsuit says Milwaukee police failed to find James Stokes until four days after the car he was riding in was impounded following a crash in June 2023.
The civil lawsuit argues that Milwaukee police officers and crash reconstruction personnel failed to inspect the third row of a stolen SUV before it was towed to the city lot. The suit says the owner of the vehicle, not police or tow lot staff, found Stokes dead days later when he returned to collect his belongings.
Watch: Milwaukee family sues city in federal court after teen’s body found in towed car days after crash in 2023
The complaint alleges officers ignored crash witnesses who told them to check for a body in the car. The lawsuit also claims that responding city personnel failed to complete a basic search of the vehicle's interior, violating the Milwaukee Police Department's standard operating procedure.
According to the lawsuit, the medical examiner determined Stokes survived the initial impact of the crash.
Stokes' family's attorney, William Sulton, says Stokes was "deprived of any opportunity for rescue, emergency medical intervention or extraction."
Stokes' mother, Kina King, spoke with TMJ4 on the day her son's body was found three years ago.
"So my son is decomposed because you failed to look in the car and see that another person was in the car. You just had the car towed to the Milwaukee tow lot?" King said on June 5, 2023.
King is now taking the City of Milwaukee, its police chief and four officers to federal court.
"I want justice. I'm getting justice. I'm fighting for justice." King said on June 5, 2023.
King and her family are seeking compensation for what they call a tragic and preventable death.
TMJ4 reached out to Stokes' family and attorney to request an interview and had not heard back. The city attorney's office declined to comment, citing the open lawsuit.
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