Lashala Taulbee-Pratt
Lashala Taulbee-Pratt, 33, died on September 20, 2023, at the Oklahoma County Detention Center in Oklahoma City. According to a jail news release, a detention officer distributing meals found her unresponsive in her cell around midday. A later Oklahoma State Department of Health inspection report reviewed jail sight-check records and found six missing sight checks before her death. The State Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death, and the state bureau of investigation was asked to assist.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). The jail spokesperson said she was found unresponsive in her cell and staff began life-saving measures, and the state medical examiner will determine the cause; a state health inspection review found six missing sight checks before her death.
Reported by: Oklahoma County Detention Center (the agency that held her); Oklahoma State Department of Health inspection report (outside investigators).