Gregory Hayes
Gregory Hayes, 33, was taken back into the Davis County jail in Farmington on the evening of December 13, 2017, hours after being released from it, and died early the next morning. The state medical examiner attributed his death to mixed drug toxicity involving buprenorphine, clonazepam and olanzapine. His mother and young son sued, and the lawsuit says jail staff failed to provide adequate medical screening and monitoring. His brother had worried about him after his release and called for help that day. In 2022 a federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of the case against the county and its sheriff, finding the plaintiffs could not prove staff knew he was in danger, and the county has contended the jail acted adequately.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). The state medical examiner attributed the death to mixed drug toxicity, while his mother and son's lawsuit contends the jail failed to provide adequate medical screening and monitoring, and the county and former sheriff dispute that claim.
Reported by: state medical examiner; his mother and young son's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Davis County and former sheriff (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His mother and young son sued Davis County and the former sheriff in federal court over the jail's medical care, and a federal appeals court later upheld dismissal of a suit his attorneys brought against Davis County and its sheriff, finding staff could not be shown to have known he was in danger.
News reports (3)
- Expert witnesses dominate Utah jail death civil court cases, but who pays for them? - Standard-Examiner
- Court depositions explore Gregory Hayes’ jail death as attorneys seek to pin blame - Standard-Examiner
- Davis County jail staff couldn’t have known man was overdosing before death, appeals court rules