Jennifer Norred
Jennifer Norred, 36, grew up in Tallahassee and had many friends there. Her mother said she was 'happy, healthy, and productive' when her medication was working, and she was a popular waitress who cooked meals for her mother's book club and visited her grandmother in assisted living. In July 2017 she was found dead in her cell at the Leon County Jail, and the sheriff's office said no foul play was suspected while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated. Her family's attorney, James Cook, said in a wrongful death lawsuit that she hanged herself, that she was not getting the mental health care she needed, and that the jail failed to address her risk of suicide. The sheriff's office and the jail's healthcare provider denied wrongdoing, and the case against the sheriff's office was settled in August 2022.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Family attorney James Cook says in a wrongful death lawsuit that she hanged herself before she could be transferred to a mental health facility, and the family's suit alleges deliberate indifference to her suicide risk, which the sheriff's office and the jail's healthcare provider deny.
Reported by: Family attorney James Cook, in a wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Jennifer Norred's parents' federal wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued the Leon County Sheriff's Office and the jail's healthcare provider over her death, and the case was settled in August 2022 without a reported amount.