Texas Rangers investigating inmate’s apparent suicide in holding cell at the Kaufman County Jail

The Texas Rangers are investigating the death of 51-year-old Chauncey Elmer Toombs, who was found unresponsive in a holding cell at the Kaufman County Jail in April 2022. According to a custodial death report, Toombs had made suicidal statements and exhibited mental health issues before his death. Despite these warnings, he was placed alone in a pre-booking cell and allegedly used medical gauze to hang himself from a handicap bar.

Attorney Dean Malone, who obtained the custodial death report through public records, condemned the jail’s handling of the incident. “If Mr. Toombs was suicidal, there would have been no excuse to leave him in a cell with items he could use as a ligature,” Malone stated. He emphasized that suicidal inmates require continuous observation and that jail staff have a constitutional duty under the 14th Amendment to protect detainees from self-harm. The firm continues to represent families across Texas in similar cases of jail neglect and preventable deaths.

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