Cassandra Pastora
Cassandra Pastora, 24, was pregnant and living with schizophrenia when she was taken to West Valley Detention Center in San Bernardino County, California, in March 2020. Her father, Saeed Toghraie of Chino Hills, says she stopped taking her medication because she was pregnant, and that he calls her Casi. According to her father, deputies told him she was later found with serious head injuries, that she lost her unborn baby, and that she died after several days on life support. Deputies described a choking incident, and the death certificate lists the cause as pending. The family's lawsuit says the sheriff's department has withheld records about her care and death.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). Deputies described a choking incident, but the death certificate lists the cause as pending, and her father and the family's lawsuit say the sheriff's department has withheld records about her care and death, so the official account is contested.
Reported by: West Valley Detention Center deputies (as relayed to her father) (the agency that held her); Cassandra Pastora's father (family or their lawyers); the family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department over her death, alleging it withheld records about her care and death, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.