In Randall County Jail, Amarillo, Texas, 39-year-old Clayton Lamar Shennum had been incarcerated for approximately two weeks when he was found unresponsive in his cell (CA-112) on August 14, 2023. In the cell shower, Mr. Shennum had a mattress cover tied around his neck. The officer working the housing area waited for backup and when it arrived, Mr. Shennum was removed from the shower and lifesaving measures were administered.

The Family of a Suicide Victim in a County Jail Outside Texas Seeks Answers Continued

Next, at 2 p.m., video footage shows the woman carrying a plastic chair into the bathroom area with the ligature attached to her neck, though it was partially obscured by the blanket draped over her.

The report detailing the incident says that her jail uniform was placed over the blue partition between the sink and the toilet while standing on something. Her head lowered and then moved slightly. Through shadows cast upon the wall looking at the cell 7 wall camera, no movement can be seen just after 2:02 p.m.  She did not re-emerge from the bathroom.

At approximately 3:01 p.m., a custody officer entered the woman’s cell to administer medications that had been prescribed by a jail doctor. However, the officer found her unresponsive near the shower and toilet area of her cell.

The Medical Examiner declared that the detainee died from asphyxia by ligature hanging/suicide. The autopsy revealed that she had methamphetamine, marijuana, fentanyl, and amphetamine in her system.   

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

Providing helpful information for detainees in county and city jails in Texas is one of the purposes of this website. There is never and intention of accusing a person or entity of wrongdoing on this site.

–Guest Contributor