Billy Joe Spann entered Ochiltree County Jail in Perryton, Texas, on April 30, 2022. He died there on May 19, 2022, at age 50. The official cause of death is still pending autopsy results, but the custodial death report shows that preliminary autopsy results show atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as the medical cause of death.

Medical attention is required to verify when an individual has sepsis. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) reports each year that complaints about the lack of adequate medical care for inmates outnumber all other types of complaints. This can be a deadly reality if an inmate is suffering from a life-threatening condition such as sepsis.

Diagnosing Sepsis

Doctors arrive at a diagnosis of sepsis by conducting a physical exam and running tests to look for the following conditions, among others:

• Low blood pressure
• A deficiency of oxygen in the blood
• Problematic issues concerning how the blood clots
• Liver or kidney problems
• A low platelet count in the blood
• A low or high white blood cell count
• Bacteria in the blood or other body fluids
• An X-ray, ultrasound, or CT scan indicates signs of infection
• Uneven levels of electrolytes
• Too much acid in the blood, which is referred to as acidosis

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series.

The purpose of this website is to reach out to Texas county jail inmates with helpful information. There is no intention of suggesting that a person or institution has been a participant in wrongful acts.

–Guest Contributor