Ayanna Byrd
Ayanna Byrd died on August 2, 2022, at the Onondaga County Justice Center, where she was held in the custody of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation, which reviews deaths in which an officer may have played a part, lists her death as medical and records her as an infant. A Central Current report on a baby girl born in her mother's cell at the Onondaga County jail on August 2, 2022, who died a few hours later, cites a state mortality report and a lawsuit saying the mother repeatedly reported that her water had broken, but staff did not send her to a hospital until she was in active labor. A settlement with the county and the medical care provider was presented to the county legislature in January 2026.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation lists the death as medical, while a lawsuit says jail staff did not send the mother to a hospital until she was in active labor, despite her repeated reports that her water had broken.
Reported by: New York State Office of the Attorney General, Office of Special Investigation (outside investigators); the lawsuit over the death; Central Current (reporters).
Lawsuit: A lawsuit over the death led to a settlement with Onondaga County and its medical care provider that was presented to the county legislature in January 2026.