Harris County, Texas Jail Prisoner Dies and Report not Filed for Months

The Attorney General of Texas recently received from the Harris County Sheriff’s Department a custodial death report regarding the death of Floyd Spencer Rachelle. Mr. Rachelle was only 30 years of age at the time of his death. We make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone, but are simply providing information which is contained in that report.

Mr. Rachelle was originally incarcerated in the Harris County, Texas jail on August 28, 2018. He died in custody on November 15, 2018. Texas law requires that the Harris County Sheriff’s Department report to the Texas Attorney General, in the form of a custodial death report, regarding the death of any inmate, no later than 30 days after the death. It appears that Harris County may have violated Texas law in that regard, but we are uncertain as to why it took so long for the county to file the report.

The report does not give much in the way of specifics regarding what caused Mr. Rachelle’s death. On Thursday, November 15, 2018, a detention officer in the pod was notified about a medical emergency regarding Mr. Rachelle. A detention officer responded and began CPR. Mr. Rachelle was then transported to Ben Taub Hospital by the Houston Fire Department. However, only approximately an hour after Mr. Rachelle was initially found, he was pronounced deceased.

The report indicates that Mr. Rachelle exhibited mental health problems and medical problems, but it provides no specifics as to Mr. Rachelle’s cause of death. It appears that the Texas Rangers will be conducting an investigation. It is typical for the Texas Rangers, part of the Texas Department of Public Safety, to conduct custodial death investigations in Texas. A recently-passed law in Texas requires a law enforcement agency other than that involved in a death to conduct investigation of the death. The report also indicates that autopsy results are pending.

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.