Leslie Lutao
Leslie Lutao, 59, was a mother and grandmother who was close to her children and grandchildren, and her family says she struggled with depression. She died on June 30, 2017, in a cell at the Kauai Police Department cellblock in Kauai County, Hawaii, and the autopsy report lists the cause as asphyxia due to a foreign body obstruction and the manner as suicide. Surveillance video, as reported, shows she spent more than an hour trying to end her life with a blanket while no officer came to her cell. Her family has sued the police department, saying officers assigned to monitor the cameras should have intervened.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The autopsy and an earlier news report describe suicide by a blanket, and Lutao's family's lawsuit says officers who were supposed to monitor the cameras should have intervened while she spent more than an hour trying to kill herself.
Reported by: autopsy report; Kauai Police Department (the agency that held her); Lutao's family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); news report.
Lawsuit: Her family sued the Kauai Police Department over her death, alleging officers who were supposed to monitor the cameras should have intervened, and no amount has been reported.