Jean Joseph
Jean Caleb Joseph, 37, was a well-known party promoter in Orlando and a father; his family says he had been struggling with mental health for several years and describes him as a family man who always looked after his family and his mother. After police found him in a mental health crisis in July 2024 and he was booked into the Orange County Jail, staff restrained him after moving him to an observation cell, and he died at a hospital on July 20, 2024. Jail staff say he harmed himself and that the injuries were self-inflicted, but the family disputes that account and questions why he was jailed rather than taken for mental health care. The Medical Examiner's Office had not determined the cause of death, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office said no determination had been made on whether it was a homicide while an internal investigation was underway.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). Corrections staff say he harmed himself, but his family disputes the self-inflicted injuries, says staff restrained him, and questions why jail staff held him instead of getting him mental health care.
Reported by: Orange County Sheriff's Office corrections staff (the agency that held him); his family.