Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards, 41, lived with his sister, Patricia Brown, in Bridge City, where she said he was her confidant and help; she said, "He didn't look like he had a problem in the world." He was held at the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans while awaiting trial and died on Dec. 15, 2017, in the jail's medical clinic, only his second night there. Sheriff's office officials said EMS personnel could not revive him after he died on the clinic floor, and the Orleans Parish coroner's office ruled his death natural, from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. A nurse who worked there said he was in severe distress and should have been sent to a hospital, and that her supervisors did not act on her concerns.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner's office ruled the death natural from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, while a nurse who worked at the clinic says Edwards was in severe distress, should have been sent to a hospital, and that her supervisors did not act on her concerns.
Reported by: Orleans Parish coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); nurse who worked at the Orleans Justice Center clinic (witnesses).