Lisa Ostler
Lisa Marie Ostler, 37, was held at the Salt Lake County jail in Utah in early April 2016 and died there, later at a hospital, on April 3. Her parents, Calvin and Kim Ostler, describe her as their daughter and said she loved her three children; she had Crohn's disease. Her family's federal lawsuit says jail staff ignored or dismissed her repeated pleas for help over several days, and that she pressed her cell intercom at least 16 times the night before she was taken out unconscious. A medical examiner found she died of peritonitis, and a jailer testified he had been told to ignore her pleas; the county settled the lawsuit for $950,000 without admitting liability.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). The medical examiner found peritonitis, but her family's federal lawsuit says jail staff ignored her repeated pleas for medical help over several days, and the county settled for $950,000 without admitting liability.
Reported by: medical examiner or coroner; parents' federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Rocky Anderson (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued over her death at the Salt Lake County Jail, and Salt Lake County settled for $950,000 without admitting liability.
News reports (5)
- News report
- ‘I’ll bet it feels like you’re going to die, doesn’t it?’ Salt Lake County jailers thought inmate was withdrawing from heroin before her 2016 death, family says.
- Salt Lake County pays $950K to settle jail death lawsuit — but inmate’s parents say their fight isn’t over
- Deaths at the Salt Lake County jail: Families of inmates say poor care, callous staff must change