Lindsay Kronberger
Lindsay Kronberger, 24, was a former high school athlete who became addicted to heroin. She died in January 2014 at the Snohomish County Jail, where she was found face down in her cell's toilet. A Columbia Legal Services report says she showed heroin withdrawal symptoms for nine days, begged to be taken to a hospital, and that staff did not think it was necessary; it attributes her death to dehydration-triggered cardiac arrest. A medical examiner said she died of causes related to dehydration and opioid withdrawal, and her husband, John Gohranson, sued; the county agreed to pay $1 million without acknowledging fault.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). The Columbia Legal Services report says staff ignored her begging to go to a hospital during nine days of heroin withdrawal and calls the death natural; the medical examiner cited dehydration and opioid withdrawal, and her husband's lawsuit contests the natural-causes account.
Reported by: Columbia Legal Services report (advocates); medical examiner or coroner; her husband's lawsuit (John Gohranson) (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her husband, John Gohranson, sued Snohomish County, which agreed to pay $1 million without acknowledging fault.