Jacinto Perez De La Garza
Jacinto Perez De La Garza, 26, died on November 11, 2021, in a fire in his cell at the Gib Lewis prison near Woodville, Texas, where he was held. Relatives described him as quiet, and his sister Emily De La Garza said his letters home were upbeat, though family visits stopped after he was moved far from South Texas. Prison investigators first called his death a heart attack and later said he died of smoke inhalation in the burning cell. Other incarcerated men say staff were slow to open the door, and the agency disputes that equipment failures played a role; a custodial death report classed the death as accidental, and the inspector general's office opened a manslaughter investigation that remains ongoing.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (disputed; neglect alleged). A custodial death report classed the death as accidental from smoke and soot inhalation, while other incarcerated men say staff were slow to open his cell door, and a criminal investigation into employees' actions is ongoing.
Reported by: Texas prison investigators and the custodial death report (the agency that held him); the inspector general's office (outside investigators); other incarcerated men at Gib Lewis (witnesses).