Kaushal Niroula
Kaushal Niroula, 41, a transgender woman whom her parents describe as their daughter, was held at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Riverside County, California, when she died on September 6, 2022. According to her parents' federal lawsuit, she had been helping state and federal authorities uncover illegal wiretapping at county jails, and she was beaten and strangled in her cell. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said she had injuries from an altercation with another person held at the jail and called the death an apparent homicide. The lawsuit says officers took more than an hour to realize an attack was underway and that she should not have been housed with that cellmate, while the sheriff has said that a person who chooses to kill another in jail is responsible, not the deputies or the Sheriff's Office.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). The Riverside County Sheriff's Department says Niroula had injuries after an altercation with another person held at the jail and calls the death an apparent homicide, while the parents' federal lawsuit says a cellmate beat and strangled her and that officers took more than an hour to notice the attack and should not have housed her with that cellmate.
Reported by: Riverside County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held her); parents' federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His parents filed a federal lawsuit over his death at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center, alleging officers failed to stop an attack by a cellmate, and no amount is reported.