Ricardo Cruz Mejia
Ricardo Cruz Mejia, 26, left two children in Skagit County and stayed close to April Soria, who was his surrogate mother. He became ill while held at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary in late 2010 and made repeated visits to the prison infirmary over several weeks. After he was sent to an outside hospital on January 15, 2011, doctors found a flesh-eating infection, and he died the next morning in Spokane. A state autopsy attributed his death to blood poisoning and septic shock, while a lawsuit on behalf of his estate alleges that medical providers ignored obvious signs of infection; the state Department of Corrections later settled the suit for $740,000 without admitting wrongdoing.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (neglect alleged). The state autopsy attributed the death to blood poisoning and septic shock, and his estate's lawsuit says medical providers ignored obvious signs of infection before sending him to an outside hospital.
Reported by: state autopsy; Human Rights Defense Center lawsuit on behalf of his estate (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: A lawsuit filed on behalf of his estate alleged medical providers ignored obvious signs of infection, and the state Department of Corrections settled for $740,000 without admitting wrongdoing.