John Allen Ellingwood was in the custody of the Roanoke, Texas, police department when he died on October 14th, 2020, at the age of 46. According to the custodial death report on Mr. Ellingwood, the medical cause of death was the ingestion of methamphetamine.

A major Texas magazine published an article in recent days that reflects conclusions made from the investigation of deaths in Texas jails. Within the title of the piece is a statement suggesting that dying in Texas jails is common or is practically expected. 

The death of a 27-year-old man was touched upon in the story, and it shows that “sudden cardiac death during restraint procedures” was the cause of death. The custodial death report on the inmate, which was prepared by a Texas county sheriff’s department, shows the same but also adds various contributing conditions, including morbid obesity, schizophrenia, cardiomegaly, and substance abuse. 

The journalists who contributed to the article used information from 400 Texas Ranger investigations into county jail fatalities in the state. The following are some of the conditions that were frequently found in the records:

• Inmates suffering from liver failure are provided with Tylenol.
• Inmates reportedly moaning in pain are routinely mocked.
• Inmates suffering from mental health crises are violently restrained.
• Treatments for chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes are routinely denied.

In the study of dozens of deaths that were reviewed by the magazine staff, it was discovered that contributing factors seemed to be that jail staff members actively ignored evidence of serious health deterioration or pleas for help. 

Learn more in this ongoing series.

Implying that a person or entity has been engaged in wrongdoing is never intended on this website. Each post is intended as a helpful resource for inmates now or previously incarcerated in a county jail in Texas.

–Guest Contributor