Travis County, Texas Jail Death – Detainee Sappi Franck

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office, in Austin, Texas, filed a report regarding the custodial death of Sappi Franck. Mr. Franck was only 21 years old at the time of his death. We provide information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone. 

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“On 9/8/2023 at approximately 9pm officers found the decedent lethargic and verbally unresponsive. Officers immediately summoned medical staff and EMS subsequently transported the decedent to Dell Seton Medical Center where he was admitted into intensive care. The decedent died at Dell Seton Medical Center on 9/13/2023 at 7:36pm.”

The report alleges that Mr. Franck did not exhibit any medical problems but that he did appear intoxicated (alcohol or drugs).

The United States Constitution requires Texas jails to provide reasonable medical care and mental health care to detainees. If a detainee in a Texas jail dies as a result of a failure to provide medical care, then certain surviving family members may be able to bring a federal civil rights lawsuit. Our Texas constitutional rights law firm is litigating a number of such cases across Texas.

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.