Maressa Ann Mays Dies in a Baton Rouge Pre-Trial Facility
In Louisiana news, Maressa Ann Mays, 34, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, a pre-trial facility, on July 14. Tragically, Ms. Mays was pronounced deceased in the jail five days later, on July 19, 2025.
Monica Lafayette, Ms. Mays’ mother, says that three officers visited her home on the morning of her daughter’s death. The officers were homicide detectives, and they told her that she was discovered deceased with her eyes open, and she was clasping at her chest as though she was experiencing pain in her chest. They explained that they didn’t know yet what had happened to her.
Ms. Lafayette received a disturbing call the day before. She said that an inmate called her from the parish prison where her child died. The inmate said that jail staff were beating her daughter. Ms. Mays was asking for help because of chest pain, but they refused to call for medical staff. One or more deputies were refusing service to her and telling her, shut up, b.
Ms. Mays had a blood clot in her stomach, heart problems, and HIV, according to inmate paperwork.
Sources said that corrections officers are supposed to make observation rounds every 20 to 30 minutes. However, when Ms. Mays was discovered deceased, rigor mortis had already set in. There are six stages of rigor mortis that begin within 2 hours of death and peak at approximately 12 hours. So, Ms. Mays had likely been dead for at least 2 hours before jail staff found her.
Ms. Lafayette got to see her daughter’s body, and she was disturbed by what she noticed. She said that you could tell Maressa had been beaten, from her bruised face to her swollen eyes and very damaged fingernails.
Full toxicology results are still pending, but the coroner noted that her urine tested positive for opioids and marijuana. However, her death has not been ruled an overdose.
What happened to Ms. Mays is obvious to her family. Ms. Lafayette put it in certain terms, saying that they killed her child.
The sheriff’s office was unable to discuss Ms. Mays’ death because it is still under investigation.
The address of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, a pre-trial facility, is 2867 Brig Gen Isaac Smith Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70807.
An Inmate at Illinois’ Cook County Jail was Beaten to Death by a Fellow Inmate
In Cermak Hospital, a division of Cook County Health within the Cook County Department of Corrections, Johnny Hendrix was being assaulted by another inmate. Security staff responded to the tumult and quickly separated the two inmates. Life-saving measures were administered immediately, and Mr. Hendrix was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital. Tragically, upon his arrival at the hospital on August 8, 2023, Johnny Hendrix, of Rockford, was pronounced deceased. He was only 29 years old.
Police released the news that Mr. Hendrix had been beaten to death by a fellow detainee. He had been in the jail’s custody since August 5, 2023, after he was arrested by officers with the Lynwood Police Department for criminal trespass and outstanding warrants.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Mr. Hendrix’s death was caused by wounds from the assault. The manner of death is deemed a homicide.
At the time of this news release, no one was charged. The death was being investigated by the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force.
The address of Cermak Health Services of Cook County in the Cook County Department of Corrections is 2800 S California Ave, Chicago, IL 60608.
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