In a County Outside Texas, an Inmate Suffers Medical Neglect and Dies in Horrendous Conditions

Last year, in Fulton County Jail in the state of Georgia, a man had allegedly been living in torturous conditions for some time before ultimately dying of complications stemming from severe medical and mental health neglect.  

The inmate’s manner of death has been dubbed, in an independent medical review, a homicide due to severe neglect. The report listed several contributing causes, including untreated decompensated schizophrenia, dehydration, malnutrition, and severe body insect infestation, which included bed bugs and lice, as “significant conditions.” A renowned board-certified forensic pathologist conducted this independent medical review. He further found that there was a significant gap of 43 days in which there was minimal documentation reflecting the care being delivered to him.

His further notes indicated that a fatal cardiac arrhythmia was caused by the combination of dehydration, rapid weight loss, and malnutrition complicated by untreated decompensated schizophrenia. He also added the statement that he would not have died at that time if he had received adequate care during his incarceration at Fulton County Jail.

The 35-year-old man was in custody on a misdemeanor charge and had been incarcerated for only three months before his death. Due to his history of mental health issues, the jail placed him in the jail’s psychiatric wing. Learn more in the next installment of this continuing series. Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, and Part 9.

Helping inmates now or previously detained in a municipal or county jail in Texas is one of the purposes of this website. There is never any intention of suggesting that any individual or organization was engaged in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor