Megan Moore
Megan Moore, 21, died by hanging in her cell at the Cumberland County Jail in February 2017. A federal Justice Department report says she told jail staff soon after arriving that she was in severe distress, and that she did not receive the medication-assisted treatment it says she needed. Prosecutors said a neighboring prisoner had seen her crying for days before she was found, and that the guard on duty did not perform the required checks. A guard was acquitted of endangerment at a June 2024 bench trial, and Moore's family settled a civil lawsuit with the county for $500,000.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The Justice Department report says she told staff she was in severe distress but did not get the treatment she needed, and prosecutors say the guard on duty did not perform the necessary checks before she was found hanging; the family's civil lawsuit settled with the county for $500,000.
Reported by: U.S. Department of Justice investigation (outside investigators); Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae; a neighboring prisoner; Moore's family (family or their lawyers); news reports.
Lawsuit: Her family sued Cumberland County and settled the civil lawsuit for $500,000; a guard was acquitted of endangerment in a June 2024 bench trial.