Kendra Nelson
Kendra Nelson, 23, died at the Portsmouth City Jail in July 2016, less than 24 hours after she was booked there. The medical examiner said she died of pericarditis, a condition affecting the lining of the heart. A lawsuit brought by her mother, Lynda Johnston, says jail and medical staff dismissed her symptoms as drug withdrawal and faking, and that a nurse found nothing wrong. A federal settlement of $365,000 was approved in January 2020, and part of it is held for Kendra's daughter, Iyllah Rain Godwin, until she turns 18.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled she died of pericarditis, while her lawsuit says jail and medical staff dismissed her symptoms as drug withdrawal and faking, and a nurse found nothing wrong.
Reported by: medical examiner or coroner; her lawsuit.
Lawsuit: A lawsuit alleged that jail and medical staff dismissed Kendra Nelson's symptoms as drug withdrawal and faking, and a federal settlement of $365,000 was approved in January 2020.