Jamie Gettings
Jamie Gettings, 33, was a mother of two from West Mifflin, the eldest of five children, who loved softball, writing, drawing and cooking, according to her family. She died on April 18, 2017, in the medical unit of the Allegheny County Jail, where she was being held. Warden Orlando Harper said she was found hanging in her cell in the early morning and was pronounced dead about 15 minutes later. Former detainees housed near her say she repeatedly asked not to be left alone in a cell, was denied food, and that officers refused her requests for crackers, and her family's attorney says being housed alone may have contributed to her death. The county has declined to comment while an internal investigation continues.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Warden Orlando Harper says Jamie Gettings hanged herself in her cell; former inmates say staff denied her food and ignored her requests for crackers and to not be left alone, and her family's attorney says housing her alone may have contributed to her death.
Reported by: Allegheny County Jail (Warden Orlando Harper) (the agency that held her); former inmates who witnessed parts of her final night; her family's attorney (family or their lawyers).
Sources (4)
- Officials: Female Inmate Kills Self At Allegheny County Jail
- 'She was begging … she didn’t want to be alone': Former inmates recount night of jail suicide - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Allegheny County confirms termination of jail officer following suicide - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- West Mifflin woman committed suicide in Allegheny County Jail after long decline - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette