Jessica Wallowingbull
Jessica Wallowingbull, an Eastern Shoshone mother of two daughters from the Wind River Reservation, was held at FCI Waseca, a federal women's prison in Minnesota, far from home. Fellow prisoners said she was struggling with mental illness and drug use, and that after a psychotic episode in the cafeteria guards left her alone in her cell, where she died by suicide. Her family said that her body, when it was returned to them, was covered in cuts and lacerations. Her family describes her as a loving mother who was excited to see her daughters again, and a fellow prisoner recalls her as quiet and sweet, busy with beading and Native ceremonies, and proud of earning her GED.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). Fellow prisoners say she died by suicide after guards left her alone in her cell following a psychotic episode in the cafeteria, and her family says her body was covered in cuts and lacerations.
Reported by: fellow prisoners; her family.