Danica Winslow
Danica Winslow, 36, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was taken from a hospital to the Itasca County jail in March 2019 after being treated for severe back pain and weakness. Her mother, Debra Pierce, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit saying jail and medical staff ignored Danica's repeated pleas to be sent back to the hospital as her condition worsened over several days. Danica was airlifted to a Duluth hospital, where she died, and an autopsy found endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves. The lawsuit alleges the jail and medical providers were responsible for her death. Her attorney said she deserved to be treated like a human being.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). Her mother's federal lawsuit says jail and medical staff ignored her repeated pleas to be returned to the hospital as her condition worsened, and that the jail and medical providers were responsible for her death; an autopsy found endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves.
Reported by: Debra Pierce, her mother, in a federal civil rights lawsuit (family or their lawyers); autopsy.
Lawsuit: Her mother, Debra Pierce, sued jail and medical staff in federal civil rights court, a judge denied the defendants' summary judgment motion, and no settlement or award has been reported.