Bryan Lee Nix Dies After Being in Bee County, Texas Jail

The Bee County Sheriff’s Department, located in Beeville, Texas, filed a custodial death report with the State of Texas regarding the death of Bryan Lee Nix.  Mr. Nix was only 31 years old at the time of his death.  Information in this post was obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing related to Mr. Nix’s death.

The new format for custodial death reports in Texas requires only a 2-page form, as opposed to the older 6-page form.  This is unfortunate, because the public is not provided as much information regarding deaths occurring in custody.  Regardless, the 2-page form regarding Mr. Nix’s death provided very little information.  It did indicate that Mr. Nix did not make suicidal statements, and did not exhibit any mental health problems.  Fields regarding Mr. Nix’s manner of death, death code, custody code, any medical treatment, and whether Mr. Nix was intoxicated, were left blank.  Further, the summary portion of the report was relatively short:

“At 8:57pm the doctors at Spohn Bee County Emergency Room ruled inmate Bryan Nix passed away at the emergency room at Spohn Beeville at this time due to unknown reasons. He was brought in to the Bee County Jail at approximately 6:00 pm, by the Beeville Police Department, and was having trouble breathing. Bee County Jail staff performed CPR until EMS arrived and was transported to the emergency room at Spohn Bee County where he later passed away. Investigation is being conducted by our criminal investigation division and the Texas Rangers.”

Federal law, arising from the United States Constitution, provides that people who are arrested in Texas and jailed, whether in a city holding facility or a jail, or a county jail, are entitled to reasonable medical care.  If a jailer and/or arresting officer fails to obtain such medical care, and in doing so is deliberately indifferent and/or acts in a unreasonable manner, then such person(s) may be liable to family members surviving a person who dies as a result.  Likewise, a Texas city, town, and/or county can be liable for such a death, if a policy, practice, and/or custom caused the death.

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.