Some of us come here to remember. Some of us come here to get to know the people we lost.

The James Francis Mentink Memorial is Jackson’s Victims of Violent Crime Memorial. The physical monument gives the people remembered here a place in our community. This website connects each plaque with a dedication page where you can learn about the person, read memories, and pay your respects.

A plaque has limited room. A life does not. This website gives families space to share the stories, photographs, and everyday details that help you get to know the person behind a name. It also gives you a way to visit and participate when you cannot reach the physical memorial.

The memorial bears the name of James Francis Mentink. It honors all the people represented on the monument and the families connected to them. You can learn more about James and the memorial’s beginnings in the About and History sections.

The website represents the people whose plaques appear at Jackson’s Victims of Violent Crime Memorial. Each physical plaque has a permanent dedication page. A family does not need to claim or manage a page for their loved one to remain represented.

The website operates independently under Mentink family stewardship. Website administrators maintain the official records, review access requests, and oversee moderation. Verified family stewards guide the stories, photographs, and tributes on their loved ones’ pages.

No. The City of Jackson, Jackson County, and Jackson County Victim Rights did not build, advise, or develop this website. They do not manage it, approve its content, or set its policies. Links to public agencies take you to those agencies’ own information and services.

No. You are welcome to visit, read, and pay your respects wherever you live. Family members, friends, former neighbors, classmates, coworkers, and people learning about someone for the first time can all take part respectfully.

A dedication page is the permanent online page connected to a memorial plaque. It brings together the plaque record, a family story when one has been shared, photographs, and community tributes. You may also see it called a memorial page. Updating the online story does not change the physical plaque.

The purpose of a dedication page is to help you remember or get to know a person. Their relationships, interests, work, humor, and ordinary moments belong here. When a family chooses to include case details, those details appear separately from the life story.

Search for their name in the Memorial Directory, browse the directory alphabetically, or select their plaque in the memorial view. You can also use the directory’s filters to narrow your results. Each page has its own link, so you can return without going through the memorial animation.

Yes. Open the person’s dedication page to view the plaque image and its written record. The page also identifies the plaque’s physical location. You can use the memorial view’s zoom controls to explore its position on the monument.

Yes. Go directly to the Memorial Directory. You can reach the same dedication pages, stories, and tributes without using the 3D view. The animation is optional.

Yes. Dedication pages open as full pages on smaller screens. If your device cannot display the 3D memorial, you can use the static view and directory. You do not need to install an app.

You can browse through the text directory and open dedication pages without a mouse or the 3D experience. The site supports keyboard navigation and reduced-motion viewing. If something prevents you from reading or using a page, contact the administrator and describe the problem.

Try their last name, another spelling, or fewer filters. If you know they have a physical plaque and still cannot find the page, contact the administrator with their name and any plaque-location information you have. Do not assume a missing search result means the person has been excluded.

The verified plaque record can be available before a family shares a life story or photographs. Some families need time; others prefer to keep their contributions brief. A shorter page says nothing about how much someone was loved. We do not invent stories to fill empty space.

Family Managed means verified family representatives help care for the page. Centrally Maintained means website administrators care for it. Unclaimed means a Primary Family Steward has not yet been verified for that page. These labels describe who manages the page, not the person’s importance or the family’s involvement in their memory.

On a larger screen, a page may open beside the memorial so you can keep your place. On a phone or when you follow a direct link, it opens as a full page. Both views use the same permanent page address and memorial content.

Yes. Copy the dedication page’s address to share it by text, email, or another service you use. For memorial announcements, check Events & News and use an email signup if one is offered. Sharing a page or leaving a tribute does not enroll you in optional updates.

No. You can search, browse dedication pages, and read public memories without an account. You can also leave a tribute without creating a permanent account, but you will need to confirm your email address.

You need an individual account to manage a dedication page as a verified Primary Family Steward or Family Co-Moderator. An account by itself does not give you editing access. The administrator must connect your verified role to the appropriate page.

Start with Family Access. If you received a Family Access Packet, use its activation instructions. If you do not have a packet, request access and explain your connection to the person. An administrator reviews the request before granting page-management permissions.

It contains the unique activation details issued to a family contact for a specific dedication page. The activation link or temporary credentials expire. When you activate your account, you set your own permanent credentials and accept the Family Steward Agreement.

You can still request access through Family Access. Identify your loved one’s page and explain your relationship. The administrator will review your connection and let you know what information is needed to verify the request.

Request help through Family Access. After verifying your identity and connection to the page, the administrator can revoke the old activation details and issue a new invitation. Do not use another family member’s account to get around an expired link.

Use the sign-in recovery option if you still have access to your account email. If you do not, contact the administrator through Family Access. Account recovery requires verification before access or account details can change.

No. Each person who helps manage a page needs an individual account and an assigned role. The Primary Family Steward can invite verified Family Co-Moderators. Separate accounts let the administrator recover or remove one person’s access without disrupting everyone else.

No. Email confirmation lets you submit and manage your own tribute. Stewardship requires a separate request, verification, and administrator approval. Choosing a family relationship on a tribute does not grant page-management access.

Yes. Contact the administrator to arrange removal of your access and discuss any personal-data request. If you are the Primary Family Steward, the administrator will also review who should manage the page next. Closing your account does not delete the protected memorial record or automatically remove every contribution connected to the page.

A memory is something you remember. A tribute can also be a condolence, a reflection, or a message of support. Both use Leave a Memory. Write what you remember. A small detail is enough, and if you are unsure of a detail, say so or leave it out. Enter your private name, email, relationship, the public attribution you want, and your message. Confirm the email you receive. The tribute then follows that page’s moderation settings.

Yes. You can leave a respectful condolence or reflection. Be honest about your connection, including when you did not know them. Do not present someone else’s story as your own experience.

Confirmation is how the site checks the submission is yours and how you get your private management link. Your email is not shown on the tribute. You can show your full name, a first name and last initial, your relationship only, or a family-approved label. You still give your name and email privately. A quieter public name is not anonymous to the people who review the submission.

You can attach a photograph when the form offers media uploads. Follow the file requirements shown there and share only material you have permission to publish. Include a useful caption and image description. Avoid exposing private information about living people.

Most pages are reviewed before a tribute is public. A family can choose to publish after email confirmation and review afterward. Until you confirm, or while a review is open, it will not appear. Check the inbox and spam, then the status on your private link. Waiting is not the same as a rejection.

Use the private management link sent for your submission. An edit to a published tribute returns to review. If you cannot access the link or need help removing a contribution from public view, contact the administrator. Removing public content does not necessarily erase the moderation record.

No. Visitors cannot create reply threads, add likes, or rank tributes. A verified family representative may leave one labeled response beneath your tribute. This keeps each contribution focused on remembrance and gives the family a clear way to acknowledge it.

Leave out accusations, suspect names, case tips, claimed evidence, harassment, arguments, private information, advertising, and unrelated political messages. Do not upload graphic material or media you lack permission to share. Use the official destinations listed for a case if you have information for investigators.

The Primary Family Steward guides a loved one’s page for the family: family content, tributes, moderation settings, and co-moderators. Administrators still protect the official record. The role is for a family representative with a real connection to the person. An administrator reviews that connection, and any steward already on the page, before granting access.

Find the page, open Family Access, and name the page and your relationship. The administrator may ask for an obituary, a public record, confirmation from a relative, or a conversation. There is no single document that guarantees approval. Ask before sending sensitive information. Access starts after review, not when the request is sent.

One Primary Family Steward, plus verified co-moderators on their own accounts. Co-moderators help with stories, photographs, tributes, and family responses within what they were given.

Ask the current steward about being a co-moderator, or ask the administrator for a review. A new request does not replace a steward. If relatives disagree, write the administrator privately. Editing can be paused while public content stays up. Do not argue in a tribute, and do not share a password.

No. The page can stay centrally maintained. The official record remains, and administrators keep reviewing tributes on an unclaimed page.

A relative or co-moderator contacts the administrator, names the page, and explains. The administrator verifies it and reviews a successor if one was named. Nobody signs in as the steward who died. Illness or silence can change who has access after review. It does not erase the page. If nobody in the family can take it, the page returns to central care.

A Primary Family Steward can nominate someone. That records a wish. It does not hand over the account. Co-moderator access does not become primary stewardship on its own. To step down while you still can, tell the administrator who should be next. The administrator verifies them. Do not pass the role by giving someone your password.

You can edit the family story and message, photographs and captions, featured memories, tributes, and labeled family responses, and you can return later to add more. You do not have to describe the crime. Administrators alone change the official name and dates, the plaque image and inscription, the plaque’s place on the monument, dedication details, case status, the investigating agency, tip destinations, who the Primary Family Steward is, and whether the page is public. You can ask for a correction. You cannot publish those fields yourself.

Ask the administrator and say what differs from the plaque or the verified record. A clear photograph helps. Gallery photographs are separate. Changing the protected plaque image or the inscription is a review. Editing the website does not change the physical plaque. A new physical plaque is its own request.

You choose which stories and photographs to publish, and whether the detailed case section is on. The core page and the protected record stay public. Do not put private information in a public field. A steward cannot delete the official record or its history. Removal of family content, or a privacy concern, goes to the administrator.

The protected record comes from reviewed plaque information and appropriate source records. Verified family representatives contribute life stories and photographs, and visitors contribute their own memories. Official case information requires administrator review against an authoritative source. Some plaque images and portraits have been adjusted for clarity. A mismatch with the original plaque should be reported.

Contact the administrator or use Request a Correction where available. Include the page link, explain what appears wrong, and identify a reliable source when you have one. Please report inaccuracies anywhere on the website, including plaques, stories, captions, event information, and links.

Yes. Public dedication pages can appear in search results and can be shared by their permanent links. Published text and images may also be copied by other people. Share only material you are comfortable making public, especially when it identifies living relatives or children.

No. Private contact information and family-verification records are separate from public page content. Authorized people may use relevant details to review a submission, verify access, or resolve a concern. Your public tribute uses the attribution you selected.

We do not sell your personal information. Optional email updates require a separate choice; visiting, leaving a tribute, or making a donation does not by itself sign you up. The Privacy Policy explains how information is handled for site operation, moderation, verification, and limited analytics.

Contact the administrator with the page, the material, and your connection. Privacy and accuracy are reviewed. Removing family content is separate from changing the protected record, and this site cannot erase copies elsewhere. Administrative records of access changes, corrections, and moderation stay so disputes can be resolved. Hiding a public tribute does not erase that history.

Stewards and co-moderators review the pages assigned to them. Administrators handle unclaimed pages, reports, and anything that needs another look. Pre-approval is the default. A family can publish after email confirmation and review afterward. Administrators can turn pre-approval back on.

Approve, decline, archive, report, or feature it, and add one labeled family response. Archiving hides it. The moderation record remains. A response names the person and the relationship. It is not a thread.

Authorized family moderators for that page can see the contributor information needed to review the submission. Administrators have access appropriate to their responsibilities. Other visitors see only the public attribution and published contribution. Family access does not expose unrelated account details or technical security records.

Use the report option or write the administrator with the page, the contribution, and a short explanation. Do not post another tribute to argue. If the family needs a break, a co-moderator can share the work, or the administrator can review who manages the page.

An authoritative source has confirmed that the homicide remains unsolved. Administrators control that label and its supporting record. UNSOLVED, Active Investigation, and Cold Case describe different things; the website uses the terminology supported by the official source.

No. The absence of a label is not confirmation that a case has been solved. The website only publishes case status that has been reviewed against an authoritative source. Contact the administrator if you believe a status needs review.

Yes. The detailed case section is optional and starts hidden. Your family can choose to enable it, while administrators review official facts and status. Choosing not to publish a detailed section does not remove a verified UNSOLVED label.

Official case status is part of the protected record. It does not depend on whether a family has activated an account or added a story. A confirmed unsolved homicide remains identified even when administrators maintain the page.

Use the confirmed law-enforcement or Crime Stoppers destination listed for that case. Do not put tips, suspect names, evidence, or accusations in a tribute, contact form, upload, or message to this website. The memorial site does not accept, store, forward, evaluate, or investigate tips. If no destination is listed, contact the responsible law-enforcement agency directly.

No. You need to contact the official destination directly. Website administrators do not act as an intermediary for case tips or evidence. This keeps your information with the people responsible for receiving and investigating it.

Contact the administrator with the page link and, if available, a link to an official public update. You can also report a broken official destination. Do not include investigative information or evidence in the correction request; send those directly to the responsible agency.

Cascades Park Memorial Plaza at Sparks Foundation County Park in Jackson, Michigan, near Randolph and High Streets. Check current park information before you go, especially for events or severe weather. Jackson County identifies nearby roadside parking. Follow posted rules. The website cannot tell you whether the park is open at a given hour.

Check the Visit notes and any event notes, and ask the park or the organizer about a route, parking, or seating. The website’s own accessibility features are not the conditions at the park. Check the park’s guidance before leaving anything. Do not attach items to plaques, alter the monument, or block a path.

Contact the website administrator for help identifying the appropriate contact for the physical memorial. Plaque eligibility, documentation, cost, wording, and installation are separate from online stewardship. Creating an account or requesting a dedication page does not approve a new physical plaque.

Events & News lists rededications, vigils, breakfasts, and other gatherings. The listing says whether registration, a ticket, a contribution, or nothing is required. Follow the organizer. A website account does not register you. Check the listing again before you go.

The day, date, and time on the left are when the gathering starts, shown in your own local time. The countdown on the right counts down to that start. The page does not name a time zone. Someone opening the same gathering from another place sees that start in their own time.

Yes. Contact the administrator with a short description of what you would like to contribute. Explain where historical material came from and whether you have permission to share it. Event listings may also identify specific volunteer needs and a direct organizer contact.

The Victim Resources section directs you to appropriate support services. Jackson County’s Victim Rights Unit lists referrals and homicide-survivor support among its services. The memorial website provides a route to those services; it does not replace professional support or emergency assistance.

Caring for records, the website, families, and gatherings takes time and money. A campaign may also name physical memorial work. Read that campaign before you give. It should say who receives the money, what it is for, any restriction or fee, and where reporting lives. If that is unclear, ask before paying.

Do not assume either. A Support link can be a general fund or another campaign. The named recipient and the stated purpose decide where the money goes. A personal dedication on a gift does not change the recipient. A gift is tax deductible only when that campaign says so because the recipient’s status supports it.

Public acknowledgment is a choice. The amount is not published unless you say so. Privacy on the website does not make the payment anonymous to the recipient or the payment provider. Use a recurring gift or a gift in someone’s memory only when the form offers it. Read the schedule and how to cancel before you confirm a recurring gift. A memorial gift supports the campaign you picked. It does not open a separate fund for that person.

The receipt or the campaign names the contact. The recipient and the payment provider handle the transaction. If you cannot tell who that is, ask the administrator. Do not send card details through a tribute or the contact form. You can also share a memory, a photograph you have permission to publish, a correction, help a relative request access, attend a gathering, or answer a volunteer request.