Found dead in cell “eaten alive by bugs and bedbugs”

A man died in prison after being eaten alive by bugs and bedbugs. That’s the accusation from the family of LaShawn Thompson, 35, who was arrested for a simple assault in Atlanta, United States, and taken to Fulton county jail last summer. The man was placed in a psychiatric ward after authorities determined he was mentally ill.

According to the county coroner’s report, Thompson was found lifeless in his cell on September 19 and was pronounced dead as efforts by local police and medical personnel failed to resuscitate him, USA Today reported. But the news has only now emerged. The coroner wrote that Thompson’s body showed no obvious signs of trauma, but his entire body was covered with bedbugs. The report also points to a “serious bedbug infestation” in the prisoner’s cell in the psychiatric ward. The report listed Thompson’s cause of death as undetermined.

“Mr. Thompson was found dead in a dirty cell after being eaten alive by beetles and bedbugs,” the family’s lawyer, Michael D. Harper, said on Thursday. “They literally watched his health decline until he died,” Harper said. “When his body was found, one of the detained officers refused to perform CPR because, in his words, the woman was “scared.” “

“It’s no secret that the dilapidated and rapidly eroding state of the current facility has made it incredibly difficult to achieve the goal of providing a clean, well-kept and healthy environment for all inmates and staff,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “This is exactly why Sheriff Patrick Labat continues to call for the construction of a new Fulton County prison and criminal justice complex that will provide the ‘elite’ with a level of care, mental health services, security and sanitation.

Source: Today IT

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