LAWRENCE COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – There are still questions after a Belhaven man’s body was found in the Pearl River in Lawrence County on Saturday, April 13.

Lawrence County Sheriff Ryan Everett said when Dau Mabil’s body was found in the river, they could tell his body had been in the water for a while.

Dau was last seen around noon on March 25, 2024, walking near North Jefferson Street in Jackson.

Everett said it’s possible Dau’s body floated from Jackson to Lawrence County.

“At the rate that the river was flowing on the day that we recovered him, which was about nine miles an hour, according to our EMA director and his sources, you know, he could have nine miles an hour at that rate. He could have floated just about the Bogalusa, Louisiana, from Jackson in a 24 hour period,” the sheriff said.

At this time, Everett said they cannot confirm a crime has been committed. The initial autopsy showed no foul play, but he said the official determination may be made at a later time pending further testing.

“There’s a lot of different things that could have happened. He could have he could have had a heart attack and fallen into the river, for all we know. I mean, nobody knows right now,” said Everett.

A hearing was held in the Hinds County Chancery Court on Thursday, April 18. Dau’s brother, Bul, filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Dau’s wife, Capitol police, the Mississippi State Crime Lab and other defendants.

Bul asked the judge to not approve the release of the remains but to conduct an independent autopsy. His request was granted.

According to Mississippi Today, Bul’s attorney, Lisa Ross, said there’s video surveillance in the area of the Museum Trail entrance where Dau was last seen. She said in the video, several people appeared to be moving a body into a truck.

Everett has questions about the allegations.

“There’s another statement put out by another station that the family attorney made. The comment that he was fighting for his life, and it’s on a video. I think that it would be of great importance in this case to let the local law enforcement have accessibility to that video. They can’t investigate without every lead they’ve got or without every lead that everybody else says is out there that nobody’s seen,” the sheriff said.

WJTV 12 News reached out to Ross about the video, and we are waiting to hear back from her.

On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) requested the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into Dau’s disappearance.