On July 2, 2023, at 10:45 AM, 48-year-old Jeanette Marie Pruitt was booked into Galveston County Jail. After jail staff found her in an unresponsive state the next morning, she was transported by ambulance to the University of Texas Medical Branch Hospital. Ms. Pruitt was pronounced deceased at 10:32 AM on July 3.

Christopher Torres-Garcia Dies of Sepsis After Incarceration in Webb County Jail

When he died at age 34, Christopher Torres-Garcia had been a detainee at Web County Jail, 1700 E Saunders, Laredo, TX 78041, for 8 days. His manner of death was determined to be accidental. The medical cause of death states, “This 34-year-old male died from sepsis due to infected drug injection sites.”

Anytime a detainee dies of sepsis, the possibility of medical neglect should be considered. All that is usually needed to prevent the onset of sepsis is to treat the individual with antibiotics in a timely manner.

Once an individual is diagnosed with sepsis, ideally, an antibiotic treatment should begin within an hour. Although antibiotics can prevent sepsis, they are also the main treatment for sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock. On average, about 30% of patients diagnosed with severe sepsis do not survive. The risk of dying from sepsis increases by as much as 8% for each hour of delayed treatment.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this continuing series.

This website has as one of its purposes to provide resources helpful to Texas inmates detained in county and city jails. There is never an intention of intimating that individuals or institutions have been involved in wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor