Perez Denis Martinez
Perez Denis Martinez, 23, was held at the Clayton County Jail in the summer of 2024. Sources report that in the weeks before his death he repeatedly asked jail staff for help as he grew weak, lost consciousness several times, and vomited, and that after a fall he was moved to the infirmary and fell again. Jail staff found him unresponsive in his cell in August, and he was taken to Southern Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner listed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as the cause of death, while the Clayton County Sheriff's Office said the manner of death was pending and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating. Sheriff Levon Allen said his office had not followed up on the autopsy.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled the death due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart disease, while his family's accounts say jail staff ignored his repeated requests for help after he lost consciousness and fell, and did not act on his refusal to eat.
Reported by: Clayton County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); medical examiner or coroner; Georgia Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators).