Jacob Oakie
Jacob Oakie, 39, of Ocala, was held at the Marion County Jail in July 2024, where his family says he called his mother daily and told her he was hurting and could not get medical help. He was taken to AdventHealth Ocala on July 26, 2024, and died there on July 28 after his family chose to remove him from life support. The Marion County Sheriff's Office lists the death as natural, from pneumococcal meningitis. His mother's federal lawsuit alleges medical neglect, and the family and their attorney question why jail medical staff waited so long to send him to hospital or start antibiotics, while the Ocala Gazette reported that deputies used pepper spray on him before the transfer.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The Marion County Sheriff's Office classified the death as natural from pneumococcal meningitis, while his family's federal lawsuit alleges medical neglect, saying jail staff ignored escalating symptoms and delayed hospital care; the family also says deputies pepper-sprayed him before transfer.
Reported by: Marion County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Marilyn Oakie's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Ocala Gazette (reporters).
Lawsuit: His mother, Marilyn Oakie, filed a federal lawsuit alleging medical neglect and wrongful death, and no amount has been reported.
News reports (6)
- Six more recent deaths in law enforcement custody come to light
- Family seeks answers in the death of 39-year-old inmate
- Medical records for Jacob Oakie confirm growing concerns for inmate medical care and use of force at Marion County jail
- Marion County’s jail remains one of the deadliest in Florida
- Recap of findings from the Ocala Gazette’s investigation into the Marion County Jail
- Jail medical care challenged