Kristan Nicole Smith
Kristan Smith was 38 and the mother of four, and her mother, Deborah Smith, is now raising her youngest child. On May 20, 2022, she was found unresponsive in her cell at the Harris County Jail in Houston, and she died eight days later at Ben Taub Hospital without regaining consciousness. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled that she died of natural causes from complications of diabetes. Her mother says Kristan was diabetic, did not receive the care she needed while held at the jail, and told her during a phone call that cellmates were bullying her. The family, represented by attorney Ben Crump, is still seeking answers about the days before her death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled she died of natural causes from complications of diabetes, while her mother, Deborah Smith, says she did not receive the care she needed while held at the jail.
Reported by: Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (medical examiner or coroner); Deborah Smith (mother) (family or their lawyers).
News reports (7)
- Senate Bill 6 may be contributing to a record number of deaths at Harris County Jail
- 29 people died in Texas jail in about 12 months; activists demand cameras, investigation
- Harris County Jail deaths: Families of inmates in Austin for Texas Commission on Jail Standards Meeting
- FBI agrees to review two deaths at Harris County Jail as families demand federal investigation
- Custodial death report 22-708-CJ
- ‘We have to say something’: Families, advocates call for change at Harris County Jail
- Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez grilled about jail deaths after appearance before state commission