For decades, the mystery surrounding the death of Hattie DeBardelaben, a mother of seven who died in police custody in 1945, remained shrouded in silence and uncertainty. Now, nearly 80 years later, her family is receiving answers, thanks to the release of federal documents detailing the tragic circumstances of her death. The documents, which were made available under the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act, have revealed horrifying details about the police encounter that ended Hattie’s life.
The case, which has haunted her descendants for years, took place on March 23, 1945, in Autaugaville, Alabama, near Montgomery. Four police officers arrived at Hattie’s home claiming to be searching for illegal whiskey. When she denied possessing any, the situation quickly escalated. During the search, one of the officers allegedly struck Hattie’s nephew, prompting Hattie to intervene. In response, the officers turned their aggression on her, reportedly hitting her and causing her to fall into a pot of boiling water.
The trauma of that day didn’t end there. Hattie and her youngest son, Edward, were placed in the back of a police car, but Hattie died before they reached the jailhouse. Medical testimony later indicated that Hattie’s head had “sagged,” suggesting a broken neck. It wasn’t until October 2024, when Hattie’s granddaughter, Mary DeBardelaben, received the long-sought federal documents, that the full extent of the brutality was confirmed.
The revelation of these details has been an emotional and painful experience for Mary and her family. Mary recounted her grief upon reading the descriptions of what happened to her grandmother, admitting that the emotional toll was overwhelming. “I cried for three days straight,” she said, acknowledging the heart-wrenching impact the discovery had on her.
For Hattie’s grandchildren, the documents not only provided long-awaited answers but also helped them understand the silence that had surrounded the case for so many years. Dan DeBardelaben, one of Hattie’s grandsons, reflected on the trauma that his parents, particularly his father, must have experienced witnessing such violence. “It was a combination of fear and just the trauma being traumatized from an event like that,” he said, shedding light on the deep emotional scars that have lingered in the family for generations.
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