Manuel Ellis’ mother visits his grave often. She refreshes the flowers and decorates it for the latest holiday, wiping his headstone clean so she can see his name and his face. She says it’s all she has.
Marcia Carterpatterson sat in front of a row of news cameras Wednesday in Des Moines with her daughter and her second son to speak about Ellis’ death in police custody in Tacoma and all that has followed. Carterpatterson showed a photo of the grave on her phone. It was adorned with candles, blue flowers and small American flags flapping in the wind.
Carterpatterson said she didn’t know if going there gives her closure, or if it just makes her feel like Ellis is still part of the family…