Jeffrey "Jay" Neal
Jeffrey "Jay" Neal, 62, was held at the Summit County Jail in Ohio, where he died on March 17, 2023. His brother Marc Neal, a church bishop in Akron, says the family still has many questions and misses Jay's laugh and voice. The family's federal lawsuit says jail officials and contracted medical providers ignored his schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, that he did not receive his medications, and that he saw a doctor only the day before he died. The Summit County medical examiner attributed the death to staphylococcal pneumonia and listed untreated schizophrenia as a contributing factor. The sheriff's office did not respond to requests for comment, and a federal judge dismissed the suit against the sheriff, with the family planning to refile against the jail's private medical providers.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled acute necrotizing staph pneumonia the cause, with schizophrenia contributing, while his family's federal lawsuit says jail officials and contracted medical providers ignored his known schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, withheld his medications and did not see him until the day before he died.
Reported by: Summit County Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Family lawsuit filed by brother Marc Neal (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit over his death at the Summit County Jail, alleging jail officials and contracted medical providers ignored his untreated schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; a federal judge dismissed the suit against Sheriff Kandy Fatheree, and the family plans to refile against the jail's private medical providers, with no settlement or award reported.