Blair Austin Nelson
Blair Austin Nelson, a 42-year-old woman from Wenatchee, died in November 2021 while held at the Chelan County Regional Justice Center. Her family's federal lawsuit says she did not receive adequate medical care for alcohol withdrawal and that her cell was not checked for more than four hours before staff found her dead. The lawsuit names complications from withdrawal and liver disease as the cause. The jail disputed the family's account of the medication she was given, and the case settled for $2.5 million in April 2024. A separate account from her estate's lawsuit says she was booked in November 2020 while in severe withdrawal and was found dead in her cell hours later; she left four siblings.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). Her family's federal lawsuit says jail staff gave her inadequate care for alcohol withdrawal and did not check her cell for more than four hours before she was found dead, and the jail disputed the family's account of the medication given.
Reported by: Her family's federal lawsuit (estate) (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued in federal court and settled with Chelan County for $2.5 million in April 2024, after a federal judge let the case go to trial.