Latandra Ellington
Latandra Ellington, 36, a mother of four, died on October 1, 2014, while held at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Florida. Her family said she had written letters in the weeks before her death describing fear for her safety, and her aunt, Algerene Jennings, said the family had raised concerns with prison officials less than a day before she died. A private autopsy ordered by the family reported abdominal hemorrhaging that it said was likely caused by kicking or punching, while the medical examiner reported no identifiable trauma and toxicology was pending. The Florida Department of Corrections, which listed the manner of death as natural in its mortality records, has not publicly determined the cause, and the family says it has not told them how she died.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The Florida Department of Corrections recorded the death as natural, while the family's private autopsy found abdominal hemorrhaging it says was likely caused by kicking or punching, and the family's attorneys say she had written that she feared for her life; the medical examiner found no identifiable trauma and the cause was left undetermined pending toxicology. The family says a guard had threatened her and that prison officials were warned of safety concerns less than 24 hours before she died, and her family says the prison has not told them how she died.
Reported by: Florida Department of Corrections (the agency that held her); Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews (the agency that held her); Parks & Crump LLC (family or their lawyers); Marion County medical examiner (medical examiner or coroner).