Chanel Lakatocz
Chanel Lakatocz, 26, died in her cell at the Onondaga County jail in August 2014, the morning after she arrived there. She had told jail staff about her cocaine addiction and was supposed to be treated for severe withdrawal. An autopsy attributed her death to opioid and alcohol withdrawal, and a state investigation by the Commission of Correction found she received only two of four scheduled doses of withdrawal medicine and was poorly observed, with the commission saying better withdrawal management may have prevented her death. Her family sued the county for wrongful death, and her mother, Rebeka Kwiatkowski, said the family pursued the case for years, which ended in a $440,000 settlement in 2019.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff. The State Commission of Correction found she received only two of four scheduled withdrawal doses and was poorly observed, and her family's wrongful death lawsuit against the county settled.
Reported by: State Commission of Correction (outside investigators); county autopsy; her family's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued Onondaga County for wrongful death and settled for $440,000 in 2019, with the settlement awaiting court approval.