Joan Ayala Diaz
Joan Ayala Diaz, 28, of Elyria, died on May 19, 2023, of an opioid overdose. Her family says she took a fentanyl pill she believed was a prescribed opioid. A lawsuit brought by the family against the Lorain County sheriff and Mercy Health Lorain Hospital says she was released early from the hospital and then ignored by jail officers and nurses. The lawsuit says her death followed that release.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). Her family's lawsuit says she was released prematurely from Mercy Health Lorain Hospital and then ignored by jail officers and nurses, and it contests the official account of her death.
Reported by: family's lawsuit against the Lorain County sheriff and Mercy Health Lorain Hospital (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued the Lorain County sheriff and Mercy Health Lorain Hospital over her death, alleging she was released prematurely from the hospital and then ignored by jail officers and nurses; no outcome or amount is reported.