Jeffery Hightower
Jeffrey Hightower, who had bipolar disorder, died on June 13, 2024, at the Independence County Jail in Batesville while he was waiting to be transferred to the Arkansas State Hospital. An autopsy found that he died of a perforated bowel and infection, and his family's federal lawsuit says he repeatedly asked for medical help for rectal bleeding and pain over two months and collapsed in a hallway without being sent for emergency care. The sheriff declined to comment on the lawsuit, and the county's health contractor is also a defendant. Local reports from the day of death said the sheriff's office found him not breathing and that the Arkansas State Police took over the investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (neglect alleged). An autopsy found he died of a perforated bowel and infection, and his family's federal lawsuit says jail staff ignored his repeated requests for medical help for rectal bleeding and pain over two months and did not send him for emergency care when he collapsed.
Reported by: autopsy; his family's attorneys (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a federal lawsuit over his death at the Independence County Jail, naming the county's health contractor as a defendant, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.