Jaquin Thomas
Jaquin Thomas was 15, a junior deacon at Ninth Missionary Baptist Church in Ville Platte, and a good student, according to his family and teacher. His aunt Rosalind Smith-Brown and nanny Jeanine McNeal described him as scared and unsure of his future. He died in October 2016 in his cell at the Orleans Parish jail in New Orleans, where he was held awaiting trial; the sheriff's office and coroner say he hanged himself with a mattress cover. His family says he was struggling in the jail, that several youths attacked him weeks earlier, and that he waited over a month for a first court appearance, while the sheriff's office says he had not been placed on suicide watch and that a video captured the death from a distance.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's office and coroner say he hanged himself with a mattress cover, while his family and a prison reform coalition dispute that account and say systemic failures at the jail caused his death, and his family questions an Ace bandage found on his neck.
Reported by: Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Orleans Parish Coroner Dr. Jeffrey Rouse (medical examiner or coroner); his family and their lawyers; a prison reform coalition.
Sources (5)
- Teen inmate had ace bandage on neck, but authorities say mattress cover used in suicide
- Family members hold courthouse memorial for Jaquin Thomas, 15-year-old who committed suicide in Orleans jail
- 15-year-old inmate’s suicide caught on video, spurs debate on Orleans Parish jail expansion
- Orleans inmate, 15, who died by suicide beat up at jail weeks before death, OPSO confirms
- Sheriff said he is not to blame for teen inmate's death, condemns arrested deputy's actions