Family Seeks Answers After Milwaukee Teen Found Dead In Towed Wreckage

MILWAUKEE, WI — After a teen's body was discovered inside the wreckage of a crash at a Milwaukee tow yard Monday, days after the actual crash, family members of the 17-year-old are left looking for answers and a way to provide a funeral.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office told Patch on Thursday they conducted an autopsy on the teen, James Stokes, but a representative over the phone declined to give out further information, citing a non-disclosure with the Milwaukee Police Department. Meanwhile, police on Thursday said they are still investigating and referred Patch to a news release published on Monday.

See also: Body Found In Crashed SUV After Being Towed To Milwaukee Lot: Police

The teen was discovered in the back of the crashed vehicle Monday morning at the city's 3811 West Lincoln Avenue tow lot, police said. The SUV had crashed into a tree near 91st Street and Fond du Lac Avenue about four days prior, on June 1, according to police. Police said the car had been stolen.

Stokes' mother, Kina King, told WISN12 news she went searching herself for her son after she learned from friends that he was in the crashed vehicle, but she couldn't find him.

King reported her son missing to police by Friday, she told the television station, but said "they blew me off." It wasn't until days later, after the family asked again for another search of the car, that the teen's body was discovered, WISN12 reported.

"He loved me dearly, and it's heartbreaking that I can't get him back," King told FOX6 in a story published Tuesday.

A GoFundMe fundraiser launched by Stokes' sister, Danielle Carey, is seeking to raise money to cover funeral expenses for James.

"He enjoyed playing football, and most importantly being with his family," reads the fundraiser in part. "James endured a untimely death on June 1st. This situation has caused a great deal of pain. It is our hope to be able to provide a funeral service as magnificent as he."

This isn't the first time a body has been discovered in a vehicle after it was brought to a city tow lot. In January 2022, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski offered an apology after a body inside a burned car made its way to the lot without being discovered earlier, according to a report by CBS58. A tow lot attendant had discovered the body hours after the car burned, the report said.