Bowie County, Texas Jail Detainee Dies

The Bowie County Sheriff’s Office, in Texarkana, Texas, filed a report regarding the custodial death of Bobby Edwards. Mr. Edwards was 56 years old at the time of his death. We provide information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“Inmate Bobby Edwards b/m DOB XX-XX-1967 entered our jail facility after receiving a Commitment Sentence for Possession of Controlled Substance PG1/1-B U-1Gram. That sentence was issued by the 202nd District Court. Edwards was booked into our facility on 11-30-2023 and presented to medical that he is prescribed a drug for mental health. He also suffered from diabetes that required monitoring. On 12-8-2023 (approximately 12:17pm), Edwards was found unresponsive in his cell. On duty medical staff responded to the cell to aid the inmate. Life Net ambulance service was contacted and responded to the jail but life saving efforts were not successful and he was pronounced dead at 12:43pm by Justice of the Peace Todd Fore. TX Ranger David Stewart responded to investigate the death as required by Statute. Bowie County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brent Caudle assisted him with photographs and scene collection. There were no visible injuries or indicators of foul play. The deceased was sent to the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science at Dallas for autopsy. Cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner.”

Despite reporting that Mr. Edwards suffered from diabetes that required monitoring, the report does not mention if this was being done.

The United States Constitution requires Texas county jails to provide medical care to pretrial detainees. If jailers are indifferent to the medical needs of a detainee who dies as a result, a federal civil rights lawsuit might be appropriate.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.