Christopher Torres-Garcia was booked into Webb County Jail on December 1, 2021. At the age of 34 and while still incarcerated, Mr. Torres-Garcia was declared deceased on December 8, 2021. It wasn’t until April 21, 2022, that the Webb County Sheriff’s Office filed a custodial death report (CDR) on Mr. Torres-Garcia. The address of Webb County Jail is 1700 E. Saunders in Laredo, Texas 78401.

Sepsis in County Jails

Sepsis is a potentially deadly condition that occurs when the body responds to an infection by causing damage to its own tissue. Win infection-fighting turns against the body, organs can begin to function poorly and abnormally. Sepsis can develop to septic shock, which is a remarkable drop in blood pressure that often results in severe organ failure and death.

Statistics show that county jail inmates are at a greater risk than non-prisoners of dying with sepsis.

County Jail Detainee Outside Texas Dies from Septic Shock

After an inmate in a county jail outside Texas died from septic shock, evidence emerged that jail nurses exhibited deliberate indifference to the inmate’s pleas for medical care.

The inmate had been subdued by police officers with the help of a canine dog that bit him on his left leg. The man was treated for the dog bite at a medical center and then was booked into the county jail. Three days later, the inmate complained about being weak and dizzy. He could not get out of bed, and the nurse marked down the behavior as an implicit refusal for medication. Later, no nurses checked up on his condition.

The following day, the inmate was seen writhing, twisting his body, and moaning loudly on his bed. He slid to the floor and nurses again noted that he refused all treatment. He was discovered unresponsive later that day and transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

Implicating individuals or institutions in wrongdoing is never intended on this website. The purpose of each post is to provide information of benefit to Texas inmates now or previously detained in a county jail.

–Guest Contributor