Kyle Lara
Kyle Lara was a father to a daughter, and his father said he had a great heart, real empathy, and loved his daughter very much. Kyle died by suicide in a basement cell of the Garfield County Jail in Washington in April 2022. The family says staff housed him alone after he expressed suicidal thoughts, and that a civilian dispatcher monitoring cameras did not respond when he hung a sheet in his cell. The Washington State Patrol investigation found that staff did not check on him for about 18 hours, and his family's attorneys say staff kept serving him meals through a slot in his door. The family settled their claim against the county for $2.5 million, approved by a state superior court judge in July 2024, and the county later closed the jail.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The family's claim and attorney Ryan Dreveskracht say Lara was housed alone in a basement cell despite expressed suicidal thoughts, that staff did not check on him for 18 hours and that staff kept serving food to his body; the Washington State Patrol investigation found he was placed in solitary despite signs he was suicidal and was not checked for 18 hours, and the family says no employees were penalized.
Reported by: Garfield County Jail (the agency that held him); Washington State Patrol (outside investigators); Lara family and attorney Ryan Dreveskracht (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His parents sued Garfield County and settled for $2.5 million, approved by a state superior court judge in July 2024, after he died by suicide in the county jail in April 2022.
News reports (8)
- 36-year-old was dead in the Garfield County Jail for over 18 hours before corrections staff noticed, complaint alleges - The Spokesman-Review
- Claim alleges Garfield County Jail failed to detect suicide for 18 hours
- Garfield County to send inmates to Whitman County Jail two years after suicide controversy - The Spokesman-Review
- Deaths at rural Washington jails highlight perilous conditions: 'Failures at almost every level,' critics say
- Garfield County pledges to keep jail shuttered after suicide went undetected
- Garfield County Jail to close after $2.5 million settlement with family of man who died in custody - The Spokesman-Review
- Man’s suicide in basement cell prompts renewed calls for more jail oversight in WA
- Nearly 3 years after outcry, audit finds rural Washington jail in a better place