Anna Brown
Anna Brown, 29, was homeless after losing her home in a 2010 tornado and her job, and her mother Dorothy Davis has said she wants to know what happened and how to explain to Brown's children why she is gone. Brown sought treatment at St. Mary's Health Center for a sprained ankle and leg pain, and police took her from the hospital in handcuffs and held her in a cell at the Richmond Heights detention facility in Missouri, where she was found cold about fifteen minutes after officers left her there. An autopsy found that blood clots had traveled from her legs to her lungs, and her family's attorney, Keith Link, says the family is investigating and intends to hold responsible parties accountable. The hospital and police say they followed proper procedures, and state inspectors reviewed the hospital's care.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). An autopsy found blood clots from her legs reached her lungs, but her family and their attorney Keith Link say she was left alone in a jail cell after hospital staff and police failed to treat her leg pain and sprained ankle, and they are investigating her death.
Reported by: autopsy (as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) (medical examiner or coroner); St. Mary's Health Center hospital officials (the agency that held her); Richmond Heights police (the agency that held her); family attorney Keith Link (family or their lawyers); St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigation (reporters).