Tom Green County Jail Inmate Manuel Garza Jr. Dies
Sixty-five-year-old Manuel Morin Garza, Jr. was booked into Tom Green County Jail on October 14, 2024. A custodial death report (CDR) filed by the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Department on November 13, 2024, shows that Mr. Garza only lived two more days after his arrival. The CDR indicates that Mr. Garza died as a result of cardiac arrest after being transported to Shannon Medical Center. It also shows that the intake officer indicated that Mr. Garza exhibited mental health problems and medical problems. His cause of death is pending toxicology results.
The summary of how Mr. Garza’s death occurred reveals a unique situation. Officers with the San Angelo Police Department arrested him for criminal trespass after he refused to leave Shannon Medical Center, where he had been seeking medical attention. Later, he was sent back by the jail to his place of arrest and died there on October 16, 2024.
Tom Green County Jail is at 4382 N US Hwy 277, San Angelo, TX 76905, and the inmate capacity is 1,001.
Detainees in Local Jails Die Due to Medical Neglect
A withdrawal death allegedly occurred in a Minnesota county jail in 2022, and facts came forward earlier this year. The 41-year-old man told police that he had swallowed a bag of drugs. Although they initially took him to the emergency department of a hospital, he was released. Back at the jail, the man complained of new and worsening symptoms for three days.
He became very ill and began vomiting. He barely ate and was declining meals. A nurse checked on him, and he crawled to her because he said his stomach hurt too much to stand. He later collapsed, falling face-first to the floor. He begged to be taken to a hospital, but the nurse refused to send him.
He died on his third day in the jail, and an autopsy revealed that the inmate died from infection, peritonitis, because his small intestine had a small hole—a duodenal perforation.
A 22-year-old detainee died in a Colorado county jail after he was repeatedly denied medical care over the course of a month. The conditions he died from were all easily treatable conditions, including sepsis and endocarditis. This tragic custodial death also occurred in 2022.
In August 2022, a man died after four days in a Virginia county jail because he was denied the lifesaving medication he required due to a lifelong condition. The man’s family begged the jail to provide him with the medicine without delay. Two days of denial of the medication was the ultimate cause of his death.
Could You Be a Victim of Jail Neglect?
Jails are responsible for ensuring the well-being of every person in their custody. If you were incarcerated in a Texas jail and sustained life-changing injuries due to neglect, such as inadequate medical care, reach out to the Law Offices of Dean Malone. With extensive experience asserting inmates’ rights, we are here to help.
If you have lost a loved one in a Texas jail and believe their death resulted from neglect, including medical neglect, we encourage you to contact us. Our dedicated team concentrates on jail death cases and is committed to seeking justice for those affected.
Don’t wait to take action. We are available around the clock via phone, text, and our online form. Contact us today for support.
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