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 died on Dec. 15, 2017, in the medical clinic of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans, only his second night in the jail. The Orleans Parish coroner's office ruled his death natural, from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. A jail nurse, Natalie Henderson, says in a lawsuit that he was in severe distress, that she warned a supervisor he needed to be taken to a hospital, and that she was fired after complaining. His sister's lawsuit alleges that a supervisor overlooked the seriousness of his condition, and a records compilation by Incarceration Transparency lists his death as a heroin overdose instead.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner's office ruled his death natural, from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, while a former jail nurse says he was in severe distress, should have been sent to a hospital, and that supervisors did not act on her concerns; his sister's wrongful death lawsuit alleges a nurse's warnings about his condition were overlooked.
Reported by: Orleans Parish coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Orleans Justice Center sheriff's office (the agency that held him); a jail nurse; his sister Patricia Brown's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Incarceration Transparency (advocates).
Custody: Awaiting trial, held 2 days.
Lawsuit: His sister, Patricia Brown, sued the Orleans Parish sheriff's office and a medical contractor over his death, alleging a nurse's warnings were overlooked; no settlement or award amount is reported.
Sources (6)
- Incarceration Transparency, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Louisiana Deaths Behind Bars
- Nurse sounded alarm over inmate's death and sexual harassment at Orleans jail -- then was fired: lawsuit
- Don't just ask why inmate died; ask why he was an inmate | Opinion
- Woman going through withdrawal dies at New Orleans jail
- Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Orleans Parish Jail