Oct 9, 2009 5:34 pm US/Central
Family Sues After Woman Dies In Cook County Jail
Loved Ones Of Jeannetta McDowell, 26, Say She Was Denied Proper Medical Care Which Led To Her Death
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Jeannetta McDowell, 26, died in a Cook County Jail cell three days after she was arrested for stealing diapers she couldn't afford.
CBS
A Chicago woman went to jail for stealing diapers. Three days later, she was dead. Jeannetta McDowell's family says the young mother did not have to die. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports that they want to know why she wasn't given the medicine she desperately needed.
McDowell's loved ones have filed a wrongful death lawsuit to get the answer to that question.
It names the Cook County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Tom Dart, along with all those on duty the day 26-year-old Jeannetta Mc Dowell died.
McDowell was arrested for shoplifting diapers on June 6th of last year. Her loved ones say the new mother couldn't afford to buy diapers for her then 4-month-old daughter Gabrielle.
Three days later, McDowell was found dead in her cell at Cook County Jail.
Darlene Warren is Gabrielle's paternal grandmother and legal guardian.
"You can't let them die because they made a mistake," Warren said.
McDowell's autopsy report shows she was brought to the morgue in a Department of Corrections shirt with dry vomit on it.
"That shows she was crying out for help and nobody cared," Warren said.
The autopsy report also says while McDowell was a drug user and had an inflamed heart muscle, a significant contributing factor to her death was bronchial asthma.
"Can you imagine suffocating? That's exactly what she did. She suffocated and died. That's a horrible death," Warren said.
McDowell's mother told CBS 2 by phone that McDowell had an inhaler in her purse when she was taken into custody.
"I figure, if anybody is carrying an inhaler, something is wrong. You know there's a medical problem," Warren said. "I worked with the police department prior to retiring, and I know anytime we had detainees, you always ask them if they have a medical condition and if they were on any type of medication. I can't say that was done in her case."
Warren's attorney says she finds it stunning that no protocol appears to have been followed in McDowell's case, especially since her death came after a report issued by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald citing cases of Cook County inmates dying in jail after being denied medical care and a failure to assess their medical needs.
"There's been absolutely no training. No additional staff hired. No policies implemented to make sure that this doesn't occur again. It's outrageous," said Warren's attorney Dana Kurtz.
After McDowell's death, Warren says her son, who is also Gabrielle's father, was heartbroken.
Reggie Warren drank himself to death just a few weeks after his fiancée passed away.
"If Jeannetta was still here, my son would still be here, because they would be together with their kid," Warren said. "That's the thing that hurts more than anything."
CBS 2 asked the Cook County Sheriff's Office how the medical needs of inmates are assessed, and if McDowell was given an inhaler during her incarceration or if she received any medical attention. They would not respond directly to her case.
But Cook County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Steve Patterson says that every single person ordered to the jail, even those without physical injuries and no matter what their charge, goes through a medical screening by Cermak staff before they come into the jail. He says it's part of the intake process.
He said detainees are also allowed access to medication. Hundreds of detainees get inhalers for their asthma, and that is determined by the jail hospital staff.
Calls to the jail hospital were not returned.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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