Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic references to severe head trauma and exposed brain tissue that some readers may find disturbing.
A 19-year-old Michigan native was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident near Michigan Avenue and Harrison Street in Inkster on July 28, 2023. According to the Detroit News, which cited a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by his mother, Jessica Ostrowski, 48, Ethan Bennett suffered a severe head injury in the accident and died at the scene.
When Inkster police arrived, they were greeted by a horrific sight. According to an investigator’s report cited in the lawsuit, Bennett’s brain had been completely “knocked out” of his skull, with “skull fractures” and hair “scattered” across the parking lot and nearby concrete blocks.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, which collected Bennett’s body and the separated remains, allegedly threw away major portions of his remains, including a large part of his brain, into the trash.
According to a report, the office “received separate from the body was a portion of posterior parietal and occipital scalp (7 x 6 inch) with multiple attached fragments of fractured calvarium and 500 gm of pulpified brain tissue.” The complaint claims the office had only collected about 500 grams of brain tissue, a fraction of the average adult male brain, which weighs around 1,400 grams. This confirmed that a significant portion of his brain had been left behind at the crash site.
Shortly after, local firefighters “washed down” the scene, and police released the area as clear.
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Later that night, one of Bennett’s close friends returned to the crash site and discovered a large piece of his head and hair left behind. Ostrowski said additional remains were later found inside a blue garbage bin near the cement blocks and placed into baggies. “This wasn’t missed. I mean, this was my son’s hair. You know, part of his skull,” she told Local 4. “In the trash… No family should ever have to go through this.”
The Wayne County Medical Examiner performed Ethan’s autopsy; the postmortem report revealed that no brain matter remained inside his head.
Unaware that key parts of her son’s body were still missing, Ostrowski held a funeral and had him cremated before learning what had happened, leaving her feeling deeply “mortified” and betrayed.
Seeking justice for how her son’s remains were treated, Ostrowski filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the Eastern District of Michigan against Wayne County, the City of Inkster, and other officials. She alleges authorities failed to properly collect and preserve her son’s remains.
In response, authorities have said, “The circumstances surrounding Mr. Bennett’s death in 2023 were tragic. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family… The City has conducted a complete and thorough investigation, and we’re confident the Inkster Police and Fire Departments handled the scene appropriately and professionally.”
Ostrowski also shared a Facebook post speaking out about how the police handled the case. “It has now been over two years since my son, Ethan Bennett, was killed. And in those two years, not one charge has been filed against the man responsible—Jordan Richardson—even though the evidence is clear,” she wrote in an October 2025 post.
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“Jordan Richardson: had an active warrant, was driving on a suspended license, had alcohol-related charges, and left the scene of the crash that killed my son. Despite this, the Inkster Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office have breadcrumbed and withheld key parts of the investigation.”
“It’s now been 100% confirmed: The Inkster Police Department denied access to gas station surveillance video—even when Detective Buzanowski went to retrieve it in person. Weeks later, the Prosecutor’s Office also denied the same video, blocking transparency. Out of all the body and dash cams from the scene, they only released Body Cam 3 and Dash Cam 3—the two that clearly show officers actively looking for the driver, proving he fled.”
“We’ve also obtained 911 call recordings. In one of the calls, you can hear dispatch calling someone back, saying the police are looking for them. We’re working to identify who that person was—possibly the driver—which supports what two witnesses already confirmed: Jordan fled the scene and was not there when police arrived.”
“To make matters worse, the case file shows Chief Tamika Jenkins signed off on documents, removing Chief William Ratcliffe, who was actually present on scene. At the time, Jenkins wasn’t even Chief — she had just been hired as an assistant commander. This is not just negligence. It’s a cover-up,” she alleged in her post.
The heartbroken mother of the deceased teen is still looking for some closure. “What’s at stake is not only justice for Ethan but the credibility of the systems meant to protect us all…. My family and this community deserve answers. Withholding evidence, conflicting public statements, and a lack of transparency from Inkster Police demand immediate outside intervention. That’s why I’m calling for this case to be handed over to the Michigan State Police for a full and independent investigation. The time for silence is over. The time for justice is now,” her petition on change.org states.
Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.
