Cassandra Pastora
Cassandra Pastora, 24, was held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino County, California, when she died on March 22, 2021. Her father, Saeed "Sam" Toghraie, says she had schizophrenia and was pregnant when she was held, and that the jail failed to protect and treat her. According to a federal judge's ruling, her cause of death was listed as anoxic encephalopathy from obstructing her airway with her hand, and jail staff were said to have found her face-down in her cell. The judge dismissed her father's wrongful death lawsuit against two deputies in November 2024, finding they had followed proper procedures, and her father disputes that account.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). A federal judge citing her cause-of-death listing said she blocked her own airway with her fist, and her father's lawsuit says the jail failed to protect and treat his mentally ill daughter, though the judge dismissed the suit after finding the deputies followed proper procedures.
Reported by: federal judge Jesus G. Bernal (court); her father's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two San Bernardino County deputies, and a federal judge dismissed it in November 2024 with no payment.