The Custodial Death of Amie Coon at Tyler County Jail, Texas, is Being Investigated
Forty-one-year-old Amie Coon of Ivanhoe, Texas died late Sunday night, November 12, 2017, while a prisoner in the Tyler County Jail in Woodville, Texas. According to a press release from the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, she was discovered nonresponsive in her cell late Sunday night. Jail staff, deputies, and police officers with the Woodville Police Department performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until an ambulance arrived. She was never revived, however. Trisher Ford, Justice of the Peace, pronounced Coon dead at the jail and ordered an autopsy. The custodial death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS).
Late on Tuesday, November 14, Sheriff Bryan Weatherford made a statement and said the cause and manner of death should be able to be determined after an autopsy has been done. The autopsy is scheduled to take place in Beaumont at the end of this week.
There are minimum jail standards in Texas which are designed to help ensure that prisoners are safe and custodial deaths are avoided whenever possible. The TCJS is responsible for inspecting jails, doing investigations following jail deaths, and citing jails for alleged violations of minimum jail standards. Any time a custodial death occurs, jail records are examined to determine whether prisoners were checked at the intervals required. If a person has been deemed to be a suicide risk, for instance, more frequent cell checks are required.
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