Ramon McGhee
Ramon McGhee, 42, was held at the Shelby County jail in Memphis, Tennessee, when he died on January 12, 2024, after being taken to a hospital. His mother, Lisa Choat, said she sent him food three times a week and could not understand how he came to be starving. His family said he was covered in lice and bed bugs when he reached the hospital. Attorney Ben Crump, citing a family-requested preliminary autopsy, says it found severe malnutrition, starvation, dehydration and extensive insect infestation, while a preliminary autopsy report reported on March 1, 2024 attributes his death to severe neglect and multiple illnesses including anemia, kidney disease and sepsis. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office called his death unacceptable and said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was alerted; the sheriff's office also disputed some of the photos shared by his attorney.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). A family-requested preliminary autopsy, cited by attorney Ben Crump, attributes the death to severe malnutrition, starvation, dehydration and insect infestation, and the family says he was covered in lice and bed bugs; the Shelby County Sheriff's Office called the death unacceptable and the TBI was asked to investigate, and the sheriff's office disputed some of the photos shared by his attorney.
Reported by: Ben Crump and the family's preliminary autopsy (medical examiner or coroner); Ramon McGhee's family (family or their lawyers); Shelby County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators).