Man was ‘eaten alive’ by bugs in Georgia cell, attorneys say. Now feds investigate jail
The Justice Department is investigating the conditions of a Georgia jail where a man was “eaten alive” by insects inside a filthy cell, according to his attorneys.
Three months after Lashawn Thompson, 35, was detained in Fulton County Jail’s psychiatric wing due to mental health issues, he was found dead and “riddled with bites” covering his body on Sept. 13, 2022, McClatchy News previously reported.
The federal investigation comes after Thompson’s family publicly called for changes to be made and for the closure of the jail in April.
“We launched this investigation into the Fulton County Jail based on serious allegations of unsafe, unsanitary living conditions at the jail, excessive force and violence within the jail, discrimination against incarcerated individuals with mental health issues, and failure to provide adequate medical care to incarcerated individuals,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a July 13 news release.
While prosecutors didn’t directly name Thompson in the news release, they said there are “credible allegations that an incarcerated person died covered in insects and filth” and that Fulton County Jail is unsafe.
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said in a May 22 statement that he was committed to ensuring Thompson’s family receives the answers they need and acknowledged “a number of failures” resulted in the man’s death.
Fulton County and the sheriff’s office are aware of the Justice Department’s investigation and “will be cooperating fully,” according to a statement provided to McClatchy News on July 13.
Thompson’s family is represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump and attorney Michael D. Harper.
“While nothing can undo the injustice that Lashawn Thompson faced, it is a tragedy that can hopefully amount to much needed change inside of the Fulton County Jail,” Crump and Harper said in a joint statement on July 13. “It is our prayer that the DOJ confirms the clear pattern of negligence and abuse that happens in Fulton County and swiftly ends it so that no other family experiences this devastation.”
They also thanked federal officials “for hearing Lashawn’s family’s cries for justice and opening this investigation.”
The Justice Department’s civil investigation is being conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the release.
Thompson’s cause of death
Thompson was booked into the county jail after he was arrested on simple battery charges in Atlanta on June 12, 2022, according to an April 12 news release from the Harper Law Firm.
An initial autopsy conducted by Fulton County Medical Examiner Michael M. Heninger listed Thompson’s cause of death as “undetermined” but made several observations, including that his body was severely infested with small insects “consistent with lice,” McClatchy News previously reported.
A second, independent autopsy report has listed Thompson’s cause of death as complications due to severe neglect with untreated decompensated schizophrenia as a contributing cause.
It also declares the manner of death as “homicide” – describing Thompson as being “neglected to death” – with dehydration, malnutrition and severe body insect infestation listed as other significant conditions, according to the report provided to McClatchy News.
The independent autopsy concluded that lice likely infested Thompson’s body for more than 28 days. Lice live for about 24 to 28 days and “cannot live without blood,” the report said.
With its investigation, the Justice Department is taking a close look at Fulton County Jail’s cell conditions and health care, as well as whether excessive force has been used and whether those incarcerated are protected from violence, according to the release.
The department is also investigating whether people with psychiatric disabilities in the jail were discriminated against by Fulton County and the sheriff’s office, prosecutors said.
“The recent allegations of filthy housing teeming with insects, rampant violence resulting in death and injuries, and officers using excessive force are cause for grave concern and warrant a thorough investigation,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, of the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement.
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