Amanda Fox Sloan
Amanda Sloan was 30 and the mother of three children. Her husband, Jeff Smith, was shot to death outside their home in 2012, and she spoke publicly about his death. She was found dead in her single cell at the Santa Cruz County Jail in July 2013. Sheriff's officials said she killed herself by hanging, and the coroner ruled the death a suicide by asphyxiation. Her family sued, alleging that jail staff failed to protect her after she showed suicidal tendencies in the weeks before she died; the county and its jail medical provider agreed to pay $1 million in October 2016 to settle the case, and jail officials said they have since changed safety checks and monitoring.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The sheriff's office and a pathologist ruled she hanged herself, and her family's lawsuit says jail staff ignored her suicidal behavior in the weeks before her death, leading to a $1 million settlement.
Reported by: Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held her); Santa Cruz County pathologist (medical examiner or coroner); Santa Cruz County coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Amanda Sloan's family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued, alleging her civil rights were violated, and Santa Cruz County and its jail medical provider settled for $1 million in October 2016.