Jennifer Schuler
Jennifer McCormack Schuler, 31, was pregnant when she was held at the Forsyth County jail in North Carolina in September 2014. Her family said she was nauseous and received only one dose of anti-nausea medicine, and that jail staff did not tell doctors about her worsening condition. She suffered a heart attack and was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, where she was in a vegetative state for five days before her family removed her from life support. Her estate sued Correct Care Solutions, later merged into Wellpath, alleging it failed to make sure she got needed medication and to report changes in her condition; the company fought the suit for more than a year before the claims were dismissed and the case settled.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (neglect alleged). Her estate's lawsuit says she had a heart attack and a severe cardiac event with lack of oxygen to the brain, and that jail medical staff failed to give her needed medication and report changes in her worsening condition; the Winston-Salem Journal also reported dehydration and acute kidney failure.
Reported by: her estate and family lawsuit; Winston-Salem Journal reporting (reporters).
Lawsuit: Her family sued over her death, and the case was settled with sealed terms, so no amount is public.