Jennifer Lobato
Jennifer Lobato, 37, a mother of seven, died in her cell at the Jefferson County jail in Colorado on March 2, 2015. Her family said she was experiencing apparent opioid withdrawal and had sought medical help, and her cellmate repeatedly asked for medication for her. The county coroner attributed her death to cardiac arrest brought on by repeated vomiting, and a later sheriff's office investigation found that a guard scoffed at her as she vomited. The county settled the family's civil rights case for $2.5 million, and a suit against the jail's medical contractor remains ongoing.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner attributed her death to cardiac arrest from repeated vomiting, while her family and the ACLU say she was denied necessary medical care for apparent opioid withdrawal, and a guard scoffed at her as she vomited, according to a sheriff's office investigation.
Reported by: Jefferson County coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held her); Lobato's family (family or their lawyers); ACLU (advocates).
Lawsuit: Her family sued Jefferson County over her death and the county settled the civil rights case for $2.5 million, while a separate suit against the jail's medical contractor remains ongoing.