Young Woman Dies after Being in Montgomery County, Texas Jail
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, in Conroe, Texas, filed a custodial death report regarding the death of Sarah Elizabeth Reeves. Ms. Reeves was only 32 years old at the time of her death. Information in this post was obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone related to Ms. Reeves’ death.
The report indicates that the time of the incident related to Ms. Reeves occurred at 1:49 a.m. on August 3, 2020. The summary in the report reads in its entirety:
“Decedent was brought to jail by the Pct 4 Constables Office on a Parole Warrant. During a regular check, jail staff observed Decedent suffering what appeared to be a seizure and called for medical staff. During the medical evaluation, NARCAN was administered but was ineffective. The Jail Medics called for EMS to transport the Decedent to the hospital and while EMS was prepping her for transport, the Decedent’s heart and respiration stopped functioning. EMS began CPR and was able to obtain a pulse, at which time they transported the Decedent to the hospital. Decedent survived on life support until August 5th, at which time the family decided to remove support and she passed away. An autopsy was performed at the Montgomery County Forensic Services Department and the results of that autopsy are pending.”
It is impossible to determine from the summary how often Ms. Reeves was being checked, and whether any checks complied with standards promulgated by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Inmates in Texas are entitled to receive reasonable medical care, and that entitlement comes from the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. If a person does not receive reasonable medical care, or mental health care, and dies as a result, then certain members of that person’s family might have claims which could be brought in a federal court in Texas.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone