James Price Dies After Incarceration in Parker County Jail

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Fifty-four-year-old James Fred Price was booked into Parker County Jail in Weatherford, Texas, on March 6, 2024. Tragically, Mr. Price died at 6:30 PM on March 24, 2025, while he was still in the jail’s custody. Additional details from the custodial death report (CDR) follow.

A little more than a year after entering Parker County Jail, Mr. Price was transferred to the Medical City Weatherford Hospital. The date was March 22, 2025, and medical staff at the jail had directed security staff to transport Mr. Price to the hospital for further evaluation and care for abnormal vital signs (unreadable blood pressure) and low oxygen levels. The hospital staff believed that Mr. Price was having a heart attack. He was placed on a support machine and was transported by ambulance to Medical City Fort Worth Hospital to receive further care.

On March 23, 2025, Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier gave the family of Mr. Price full visitation clearance. On March 24, 2025, at 1:50 PM, the CDR states that “the State of Texas and the County of Parker both fully released Mr. Price from custody.” The officer on hospital guard duty left the room at about 2:09 PM, and Mr. Price had family members with him in the hospital room.

The CDR also tells about the jail facility receiving a call that was purportedly from a funeral home in Fort Worth, Texas, at about the same moment Mr. Price was declared deceased. The caller asked for the jail’s billing information, stating that he had passed away and the jail was to pay for the funeral.

The address of the Parker County Detention Center is 612 Jameson St., Weatherford, Texas 76086. The inmate capacity there is 461.

Six Harris County Jail Inmate Deaths were Not Reported to the State

When an inmate gets sick in a Texas jail, he or she may be transported to a hospital to receive care beyond what the jail’s medical staff offers. It has been well established that when an inmate who would still be incarcerated except for a medical issue ends up being pronounced deceased outside the jail, that individual died in the jail’s custody. Jails are required to file a CDR within 30 days of an inmate death. This wasn’t always the case, and some jails sometimes still fail to report inmate deaths.

As a result of a 2023 investigation into the deaths of six Harris County Jail inmates, it was discovered that Harris County in Houston, Texas, did not report them. The concern with lack of reporting is that a proper investigation into the inmate’s death subsequently does not occur. When inmates die due to jail neglect, medical neglect, or jail abuse, family members can pursue justice on behalf of their loved one and may receive compensation for their loss.

Need Help with Jail Neglect or Abuse?

Incarceration should never mean a loss of basic human rights. When individuals in Texas jails are denied necessary medical care or subjected to mistreatment, those responsible must be held accountable.

If you have lost a loved one in a Texas jail and believe neglect played a role in their death, we may be able to help. Our legal team has extensive experience handling cases of custodial deaths, including incidents of jail medical neglect, and understands the complexities of fighting for inmate rights within the correctional system.

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