Catherine Rowell
Catherine Rowell, 55, died on February 15, 2016, while held at the Rio Blanco County jail in Meeker, Colorado. The death was described as a suicide, with the cause given as strangulation with a telephone cable. Her husband and children, as her estate, sued the sheriff and jail employees, alleging staff should have checked on her more often and should not have placed her in a cell where she could harm herself. In 2021 a federal appeals court upheld a ruling that failing to follow hourly check procedures was not a constitutional violation, finding the employees did not know of a substantial suicide risk.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). Jail staff found Catherine Rowell strangled with a telephone cable; her estate's lawsuit alleges staff did not follow hourly check procedures and should have checked on her more often.
Reported by: Rio Blanco County jail staff (the agency that held her); U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit (court); her estate.
Lawsuit: Her estate sued the Rio Blanco County sheriff and jail employees, and in 2021 a federal appeals court upheld a ruling that they were not liable for constitutional violations.