Jason Sanford
Jason Sanford, 41, was a man his brother described as kind-hearted, someone who would help anyone in need, and the two spoke on the phone every night after Jason moved to Florida four years earlier. On April 5, 2024, Jason died at the Clayton County Jail hours after arriving there, and The Appeal reports that he told staff he was in pain and was placed alone in an isolation room, where staff did not enter for about 15 minutes after he stopped moving. The Clayton County Sheriff's Office said he passed an initial medical exam and then, less than an hour later, complained of back and wrist pain before a medical emergency left him unresponsive, and that he was taken to Southern Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were notified and are expected to investigate. Jason's family says the jail has not given them answers and wants accountability.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's office says Jason Sanford had a medical emergency and became unresponsive, and that staff gave Narcan and CPR before he was taken to Southern Regional Hospital; his family says he told staff he was in pain, was left alone in an isolation room, and staff did not enter for about 15 minutes after he stopped moving, and they want accountability.
Reported by: Clayton County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family.