Julie Buelna
Julie Buelna, 48, grew up in Washington and moved to Dallas in 2008 to be near family; she loved fashion and dreamed of becoming an esthetician; her mother says she had a very big heart. On her first night in the Dallas County jail she suffered a catastrophic head injury, which the sheriff's office said happened when she jumped from an upper level, an account her family doubts. About 13 hours later the jail released her from custody at Collin County's request, and she died in the hospital on March 7, 2026. Her family says the sheriff never told them she was hospitalized and that they learned from hospital staff. The state jail commission now counts her death as an in-custody death.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's office says she jumped from a second-story ledge, but her family doubts this and says they still do not know what happened, and they were not told she was in the hospital.
Reported by: Dallas County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held her); her family.