Cynthia Ann Cortez
Not found on the Texas Attorney General’s published list of deaths in custody.
Cynthia Ann Cortez died on April 17, 2015, while held at the Taylor County Jail in Abilene, Texas. Her aunt, Iris Guerrero, filed a lawsuit on the family's behalf, saying Cortez overdosed on methamphetamine, that her condition was not properly documented, and that she did not receive timely medical care. The Taylor County Sheriff's Office, which the lawsuit names, has answered the claims, and the defendants deny that earlier treatment would have saved her. The county and the Abilene Police Department declined to comment at the time, and the lawsuit has not been decided in court.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (neglect alleged). Her family's lawsuit says she did not receive timely medical care after her meth overdose, and the defendants deny that proper treatment would have saved her.
Reported by: family's lawsuit (aunt Iris Guerrero) (family or their lawyers); news report.
Lawsuit: Her family sued Taylor County, the Taylor County Sheriff's Office and the Abilene Police Department, seeking $4 million, and the case has not been tested in court.