Holly Barlow-Austin
Not found on the Texas Attorney General’s published list of deaths in custody.
Holly Barlow Austin, 46 or 47 according to different sources, was held at a jail in Texarkana, Texas, run by LaSalle Corrections, and died in June 2019 after being taken to a hospital; sources give June 15 or June 17 as the date. Her husband and mother said they hoped a settlement in the family's case would save lives in the future. The family's federal lawsuit alleges that she did not get all of her prescribed medication, was denied water and food, and that staff ignored her worsening health and falsified observation logs, so she reached the hospital too late. The cause of death is given as fungal meningitis, and LaSalle and Bowie County agreed to a $7 million settlement with confidential terms, while the defendants did not publicly comment.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). Her family's federal lawsuit says jail staff withheld her HIV medication, denied her water, falsified observation logs and took her to the hospital too late, while the death itself was attributed to fungal meningitis.
Reported by: family's federal lawsuit (attorney Erik Heipt) (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued LaSalle Corrections and Bowie County over her death, and LaSalle agreed to a $7 million settlement before trial.