Joe Snell
Joe Snell, 37, loved shooting Nerf guns with his nieces and nephews and playing practical jokes on his older sister, Michelle, and he was taking classes while he was held at a jail on the Spirit Lake Tribe Reservation in North Dakota. On March 26, 2020, he collapsed while exercising in the day room. His sister, Michelle Snell, said he died of a heart attack and that two correctional officers did not perform CPR or use an AED before the ambulance arrived, and paramedics could not save him. The Interior Department said a pre-existing medical issue needed to be addressed first, but his sister said she knew of no such condition.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). His sister Michelle Snell says he had no known heart condition and that two officers did not perform CPR or use an AED before the ambulance arrived, while the Interior Department says a pre-existing medical issue needed to be addressed first.
Reported by: Michelle Snell, his sister (family or their lawyers); Interior Department (the agency that held him).