Angela Liggans
Angela Lynn Liggans, a 41-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic, died in the Wagoner County Jail in Oklahoma on June 2, 2021. Her mother, Sharon Dee Dalton of Tulsa, brought a lawsuit saying Liggans was denied insulin, was not taken to a hospital after she passed out, and lay unresponsive on her cell floor for at least half an hour before staff checked on her. A medical examiner ruled that diabetic ketoacidosis caused her death. Wagoner County later agreed to a $13.5 million settlement of the lawsuit, and the sheriff has said he takes responsibility for her death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The state medical examiner ruled the death was caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, while her family's lawsuit says detention officers took away her insulin for at least two days and staff did not intervene as her condition worsened.
Reported by: State Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Her family's lawsuit and attorney Dan Smolen (family or their lawyers); Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliot (the agency that held her).
Lawsuit: Her family sued over her death in the Wagoner County Jail, and the county agreed to a $13.5 million settlement, which voters were asked to help fund through a sales tax in February 2025.
Sources (7)
- Wagoner Co. Commissioners Approve Multi-Million Dollar Settlement To Woman's Family After Her Death In Jail
- Wagoner County residents vote Feb. 11 on sales tax to retire $13.5M lawsuit settlement
- Wagoner County faces backlash over tax hike for $13.5M inmate death settlement
- Wagoner County voters approve sales tax to pay for $13.5M jail death settlement
- Wagoner County residents seek grand jury probe of sheriff, DA over corruption claims
- Wagoner County DA asks courts to quash grand jury petition targeting him
- Comanche County jail death lawsuit similar to one settled for $13.5M in Wagoner County