Lester Irby
Lester Irby, 70, collapsed inside the D.C. Central Detention Facility in Washington during a heat wave in July 2016 and died at a hospital. Paramedics said he appeared to be suffering a stroke. His lawyer said he was in good spirits when they met at the jail and at a court hearing the previous week, with no sign of a physical problem. The Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sylvia Lane said he appears to have died of natural causes and that there was no reason to link his death to high temperatures, while a jail monitor said conditions inside were oppressive. No autopsy had been conducted at the time of reporting.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The DOC said he appears to have died of natural causes and that the heat was not linked to his death, while a jail monitor said oppressive heat conditions inside the facility were a concern and no autopsy had been conducted at the time of reporting.
Reported by: DOC spokeswoman Sylvia Lane (the agency that held him); paramedics; jail monitor.