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Died in jail or a lockup

Noni Battiste-Kosoko

19 years old · died July 11, 2023 · Atlanta City Detention Center, Fulton County, Georgia

Noni Battiste-Kosoko was 19. Her mother, Shashu Battiste, said she was talented and wanted to go to college, run track, dance, sing and write, and a cellmate remembered her singing and her calm moments while getting her hair done. On July 11, 2023, she was found face down and unresponsive in her cell at the Atlanta City Detention Center, in a section controlled by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office; according to an incident report, staff did not know she was in trouble until dinner rounds, when a worker in the unit found her. Her cellmate said her mental illness was overlooked, that she often banged her head against the cell wall, and that her death could have been prevented. The sheriff's office said there were no obvious signs of injury, and the medical examiner's office listed the cause as olanzapine toxicity with the manner undetermined, while her family disputes that she had any physical health problems.

Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner listed the manner as undetermined and cause as olanzapine toxicity, while her family and a cellmate say her mental illness was overlooked and that staff did not respond in time to revive her.

Reported by: Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Fulton County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held her); her family; a cellmate.

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