Roselee Bartolacci
Roselee Bartolacci, a 32-year-old woman with a developmental disability and schizoaffective disorder, needed constant care from her mother, Roseann Bartolacci, who sought emergency psychiatric treatment for her and looked after her daily. According to a family lawsuit, she was taken into a San Diego County jail during a mental health crisis, rather than being placed in a mental health facility, and was held at the Las Colinas women's jail. The family says she lost weight while refusing food, water and medication, that jail medical staff cleared her for admission despite her condition, and that staff did not contact the regional center required by policy. The lawsuit says she was found unresponsive in her cell on May 28, 2023, and was pronounced dead shortly after midnight; the county has not been quoted in these reports responding to these claims.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). Her family's federal lawsuit says jail medical staff cleared her for admission despite her condition and did not stop her decline while she refused food and psychiatric medication.
Reported by: her family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family filed a federal lawsuit over her death in San Diego County custody, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.
News reports (4)
- Family of woman who died in San Diego County jail sues
- After record $15 million settlement, San Diego County still confronts a slew of other jail-death lawsuits - San Diego Union-Tribune
- In 5 years since investigation, little progress in stopping deaths in San Diego County jails - San Diego Union-Tribune
- Hunger Strikes Expose Brutal Conditions at Two State Prisons…and Other News on Solitary Confinement This Week