Michele Smiley
Michele Smiley was 34 and the mother of six children. She was held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility in Asheville, North Carolina, in October 2017. Her family's federal lawsuit says she reported taking drugs, that jail staff did not monitor her, and that she was found without a pulse when emergency responders arrived; a wrongful death suit by her grandmother says she had swallowed methamphetamine, told staff she was overheating, and was left alone in a cell where she lost consciousness. She was declared dead at a nearby hospital from an overdose. Buncombe County agreed to a $2 million settlement with the family in December 2019, and an undisclosed settlement was reached with the nurse's employer.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). Her family's federal lawsuit says jail staff failed to monitor her after she reported taking drugs and found her without a pulse, while her grandmother's wrongful death lawsuit says she swallowed methamphetamine, told staff she was overheating, and was left alone in a cell until she lost consciousness.
Reported by: family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Smiley's grandmother's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued in federal court over her death at the Buncombe County Detention Facility, and Buncombe County settled for $2 million in December 2019, while an undisclosed settlement was reached with the nurse's employer.