Amy Lynn Cowling
Amy Lynn Cowling, 33, had three children, and her mother, Vicki Bankhead, said they spoke every day; Cowling became a grandmother a day after she died. According to The Texas Tribune, she died at the Gregg County Jail in Longview, Texas, after about five days in custody. Her family said she had bipolar disorder and repeatedly asked for her regular medications, which they said the jail did not provide. The county said a preliminary autopsy was inconclusive and that the jail did not contribute to her death, while sheriff's officials said an investigation found jail employees had violated jail guidelines and that several jailers were arrested or fired. Sources give different dates for her death, from December 2010 to February 2011, and the family has considered legal action.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). Her family says she repeatedly asked for her regular bipolar medications and jail staff did not provide them, while the county says the jail did not contribute to her death and a preliminary autopsy was inconclusive.
Reported by: Gregg County Jail (the agency that held her); Gregg County (the agency that held her); her family; news reports.