Judy Jean Caquias
Judy Jean Caquias, known to friends and family as Jackie, was an activist who helped launch HOTLINE Cares, a teen crisis service that ran for more than 30 years, and she fought for affordable housing and drug rehabilitation programs in her neighborhood. Her sister Daria Widing remembers her as someone who took care of her friends and family. Caquias was held at the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island in May 2014 and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in acute liver failure, where she died weeks later on June 25, 2014. The New York City chief medical examiner and the New York State Commission of Correction classified the death as natural. Her family's lawsuit claims that medical negligence at Rikers, including a delayed liver exam and medication errors, contributed to her death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The New York City chief medical examiner and the New York State Commission of Correction classified the death as natural from liver disease, while her family's lawsuit says medical negligence at Rikers contributed, including a delayed liver exam and medication errors.
Reported by: New York City chief medical examiner (medical examiner or coroner); New York State Commission of Correction (outside investigators); her family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued, alleging that medical negligence at Rikers Island contributed to her death from acute liver failure in 2014.