Dennis Francis Barrett
Dennis Francis Barrett, 38, was held at the Madison County Jail in Illinois in March 2025 after being hurt in a car crash, and his mother, Kelly Barrett, remembers their last phone call from jail, when they both got to say "I love you." According to a state police report, he repeatedly told staff his pain was getting worse and asked for an emergency room, while staff and other people held with him believed he was withdrawing. He was found on his cell floor, given CPR and taken to a hospital, where he died; the Madison County Coroner said a ruptured spleen from the crash caused his death. His family says the sheriff's office never contacted them, and a Chicago Tribune column citing the Better Government Association's Illinois Answers Project said the county did not report his death to the state because he was not inside the jail when he died.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (neglect alleged). The coroner attributes his death to a ruptured spleen from the car crash, while a state police report says staff ignored his repeated reports of worsening pain and requests for an emergency room, thinking he was withdrawing.
Reported by: Madison County Coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Illinois State Police report (outside investigators); Better Government Association's Illinois Answers Project (reporters).