“However, even before this report was issued it was painfully clear there were a number of failures that led to Mr. Thompson received adequate care during his incarceration at the Fulton County Jail then he would not have died at the time that he did,” Mitchell said.įulton County Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat has not yet had a chance to fully review the independent autopsy report, he said in a statement Tuesday. “The combination of dehydration, rapid weight loss, and malnutrition complicated by untreated decompensated schizophrenia led to a fatal cardiac arrythmia of Lashawn Thompson. Lashawn Thompson died due to severe neglect,” Mitchell said in the review. “For these reasons, it is the opinion of this forensic pathologist that Mr. Family Photoįulton County, Georgia, jail leadership resigns after inmate's death and accusations of unsanitary conditions The Fulton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, "The manner and cause of death was listed as undetermined by the county medical examiner. Harper blamed unsanitary conditions and complications from insect bites for Thompson's death in September after three months in jail. Thompson required daily care for his mental illness and noted “a significant gap” of “43 days where there was minimal documentation found within the records that show care being delivered” to him, according to Mitchell’s findings.įamily Photo provided to CNN by Michael Harper, attorney for the family of Lashawn Thompson, an inmate who died in the Fulton County Jail in September of 2022. Roger Mitchell Jr., a board-certified forensic pathologist and chair of pathology at Howard University, who was previously the chief medical examiner for Washington, DC, from 2014 to 2021. The independent medical review listed “untreated decompensated schizophrenia” as a contributing cause to the death, in addition to dehydration, malnutrition and severe body insect infestation, which included lice and bed bugs, as “significant conditions.” The report listed schizoaffective disorder, bipolar and acute exacerbation as “other conditions.” The Fulton County medical examiner’s office listed Thompson’s manner and cause of death as undetermined, according to a document sent to CNN earlier this year. He had been in custody for just three months when he died in September 2022. Thompson, 35, died last year while in custody on a misdemeanor assault charge and was housed in the psychiatric wing of the jail because of his mental health issues, according to family attorney Michael Harper. WANFįamily says deplorable conditions and insect bites in Atlanta jail contributed to inmate's death Lashawn Thompson's brother Brad McCrae speaks at a press conference on the courthouse steps of the Fulton County Superior Court on April 13.
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