Press Release: Woman Incarcerated in Atascosa County Jail Dies After Multiple Seizures – Federal Lawsuit Filed

Woman Incarcerated in Atascosa County Jail Dies After Multiple Seizures – Federal Lawsuit Filed

For Immediate Release

San Antonio, Texas – April 29, 2025

On May 2, 2023, an Atascosa County Sheriff’s deputy arrested Nancy Lopez for alleged public intoxication. Nancy was transported to the Atascosa County jail. During the intake process, one witness described her as shaking uncontrollably. Nancy was not cognitively in a state to be booked into the jail for several hours.

Later, after being booked-into the jail, Nancy suffered several seizures. No one called EMS. In fact, no one called EMS until Nancy was found by a nurse, coming on duty, deceased.  CPR revived Nancy, but she would not survive.

Constitutional rights lawyer Dean Malone represents a family member and filed a federal lawsuit in San Antonio against Atascosa County. Mr. Malone said, “It is beyond me to understand why Nancy was allowed to suffer several seizures without anyone calling EMS, and without anyone transporting her to a local hospital until she was unresponsive. No one decided to call EMS until it too late. There is no excuse for not taking a person suffering a medical emergency to the nearest hospital.”

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.