Michael Robinson
Michael Robinson, 33, of Hayti, Missouri, was a diabetic who needed insulin, his sister and fiancée said. He was held at the Pemiscot County Jail in Caruthersville, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Hayti, and was then transferred to Cape Girardeau, where he died in August 2015. His death certificate lists complications of diabetes and the manner of death as natural. His family and a former cellmate say he was denied insulin and medical attention while visibly getting worse. The sheriff asked the Missouri State Highway Patrol to investigate his time in the jail and the treatment he received, and the Highway Patrol reviewed jail video while the prosecutor reviewed a preliminary report.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The death certificate lists complications of diabetes and the manner as natural, but his family and a former cellmate say jail staff denied him insulin and medical attention while he visibly deteriorated.
Reported by: death certificate; his family and a former cellmate.