Rashod McNulty
Rashod McNulty, 36, was held at the Westchester County Jail in Valhalla, New York, when he died on January 29, 2013. His mother, Lydia McNulty, said he was a joker who loved his family, and his fiancée, Erica Melvin, said their daughter still asks for him. Jail staff gave him medication for indigestion after he complained of chest and stomach pain, and he collapsed in his cellblock; a state Commission of Correction report found that timely emergency care may have prevented his death. The family's federal lawsuit alleges grossly negligent medical care by the county and its health provider, and the county says its staff followed procedure.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The autopsy attributes the death to stenosing coronary arteriosclerosis, and the family's lawsuit says staff gave inadequate emergency care, including returning him to his cell after he collapsed rather than sending him to the infirmary and calling an ambulance late; the county says staff followed procedure.
Reported by: autopsy; family's federal lawsuit, filed by fiancée Erica Melvin (family or their lawyers); Westchester County (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit over his care at the Westchester County Jail, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.