Natasha Bloos
Natasha Bloos, a 36-year-old woman, was held at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, New Mexico, when she died by suicide in her cell on December 5, 2022. An online obituary described her as born in Germany, the youngest of three daughters, and a high-spirited person who loved life, animals and her family. According to a lawsuit filed on behalf of her children, she had been moved there from a county jail for safekeeping after prior suicide attempts, and the suit alleged inadequate medical and mental health care and supervision by the state and its private contractors. The state and two contractors have agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle the case, a settlement approved at an April 28 hearing.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). Her children's lawsuit says staff failed to provide adequate mental health care and supervision for a woman known to be at risk of suicide, after she was transferred to the prison for safekeeping because of prior suicide attempts.
Reported by: lawsuit filed on behalf of her children.
Lawsuit: Her children sued the State of New Mexico and two private contractors, who agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle the case.