Elbert Larkins
Elbert Larkins was held at the Steele County Detention Center and at state prisons in Faribault and Rush City between 2014 and 2017. His family's wrongful death lawsuit, brought by Breyana Larkins as trustee of his estate, says he repeatedly reported blood in his urine and semen but was not referred to a urologist, so his prostate cancer was not diagnosed until March 2017, when it was already incurable. He died on May 7, 2018. The defendants, including Steele County, Sheriff Lon Thiele, a nurse, several doctors and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, deny negligence, and in a joint response Thiele and the nurse said his illness was natural disease and attributed his injuries to his own refusal of care.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). His family's wrongful death lawsuit says staff ignored his repeated reports of blood in his urine and semen and never referred him to a urologist, delaying a prostate cancer diagnosis until March 2017; Sheriff Lon Thiele and the nurse deny negligence and say his illness and his own refusal of care caused his death.
Reported by: his family's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Sheriff Lon Thiele and the nurse, in a joint response (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His family sued Steele County, Sheriff Lon Thiele, a nurse, several doctors and the Minnesota Department of Corrections over his death, alleging delayed cancer care; no settlement or verdict amount is reported.