Christian Alexander Smalley
Christian Alexander Smalley, 57, died on June 25, 2017, at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul, about a month after he was taken into the jail, after he jumped from a second-floor tier and sustained closed head trauma. A man held at the jail told investigators that Christian had said he was on his own and had no family, and another man reported that Christian had not been eating and was complaining about not getting his medications. A Minnesota Department of Corrections review found that jail staff did not properly complete required well-being checks, though the inspector concluded those checks did not appear to have directly affected his death. The review and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office described the death as a suicide, and the sheriff's office says it has since added suicide-prevention barriers and staff.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). A state Department of Corrections review found that jail staff did not properly complete required well-being checks, though it concluded the checks did not directly affect his death.
Reported by: Minnesota Department of Corrections review (outside investigators); Ramsey County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him).