Jahi Hynes
Jahi Hynes, a 27-year-old man, died on April 4, 2021, while held at the Southeast Missouri Correctional Center in Charleston, Missouri. His mother, Willa Hynes of St. Louis, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections, its contract medical providers and 11 employees, saying staff were negligent in allowing him to keep a bedsheet and in failing to conduct required checks. The lawsuit says he died by hanging and had a history of mental health problems while held in administrative segregation. A court found the department knowingly violated the Sunshine Law by withholding records about his death, and the department declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The wrongful death lawsuit by his mother, Willa Hynes, says staff let him keep a bedsheet and did not conduct required checks, while the account reports he died by hanging; the Missouri Department of Corrections declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Reported by: his mother Willa Hynes's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Missouri Department of Corrections (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His mother, Willa Hynes, sued the Missouri Department of Corrections and its contract medical providers for wrongful death, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.