Jacob Mitchell
Jacob Mitchell, 29, was held at the Pend Oreille County Jail in Newport, Washington, in April 2023. A fellow prisoner told The Miner that he had been crying out in pain for four days before he died, and his family provided a photo of him to the paper. According to the autopsy report, he died of complications of type 1 diabetes. A federal civil rights lawsuit brought by his father, Harry Joe Mitchell, and his estate says jail staff failed to provide adequate medical care and an individualized diabetes treatment plan, and the county settled the case for $1.9 million while agreeing to policy and training changes.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The autopsy report says he died of complications of type 1 diabetes, but his father's federal lawsuit alleges jail staff failed to provide adequate medical care and an individualized diabetes treatment plan, and the county settled for $1.9 million.
Reported by: autopsy report; federal lawsuit brought by his father's attorney (family or their lawyers); Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His father and estate sued Pend Oreille County over inadequate medical care for his type 1 diabetes, and the county settled the federal civil rights case for $1.9 million and agreed to policy and training changes.