Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Dylan Stratton

21 years old · died January 23, 2019 · Franklin County Regional Jail, Franklin County, Kentucky

Dylan H. Stratton, 21, was held at the Franklin County Regional Jail in Kentucky and died in his cell on January 23, 2019, less than six days after being booked. His mother, Leslie Glass, sued the jail and its contracted medical provider, saying he was in drug withdrawal and never received emergency care. The jail said foul play was not suspected, and the Franklin County Coroner first listed the cause as natural causes with obesity and drug use as factors, later ruling it cardiac dysrhythmia. A former contracted jail nurse later admitted she lied under oath about evaluations and falsified his records, and the family's lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The Franklin County coroner ruled the death natural, from cardiac dysrhythmia with obesity and drug use as contributing factors, while his mother's lawsuit says staff left him in withdrawal without emergency care and a former jail nurse admitted lying about his medical evaluations.

Reported by: Franklin County Coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Leslie Glass, his mother, in a wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); a former deputy jailer.

Lawsuit: His mother, Leslie Glass, filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Franklin County jail and its contracted medical provider, Southern Health Partners, and the case later settled for an undisclosed amount.

News reports (9)

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