Jack Franqui
Jack Franqui was found hanging in his holding cell at the Seventh Precinct in Shirley, New York, on January 23, 2013. Police homicide detectives initially described him as calm, and the department's account framed the death as a suicide. A fellow prisoner said Franqui screamed for help as he hanged himself and that officers were slow to arrive. A special grand jury and the state Commission of Correction later found the death preventable and identified failures by officers on duty, and his family filed a lawsuit against Suffolk County.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Suffolk County police homicide detectives called it a suicide, while a special grand jury found the death preventable, the Commission of Correction identified failures by officers on duty, and his family's lawsuit disputes the official account; a fellow prisoner says officers were slow to respond after he screamed for help.
Reported by: Suffolk County Police Department (the agency that held him); special grand jury; Commission of Correction (outside investigators); fellow prisoner; his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a lawsuit against Suffolk County over his death.