Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Sandra Bland

28 years old · died July 13, 2015 · Waller County Jail, Waller County, Texas

Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old Black woman from the Chicago area, had recently moved to Texas to start a job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University, and her family and friends describe her as outspoken and full of plans. She was taken into the Waller County Jail in Hempstead, Texas, after a July 2015 traffic stop, and she was found hanging in her cell on July 13, 2015. The sheriff's office and the Harris County medical examiner's office ruled her death a suicide. Her family disputes that finding, and the district attorney has said the case was treated as a murder investigation, while the family's wrongful death suit against the county and state later settled for $1.9 million.

Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Waller County officials and the Harris County medical examiner ruled she hanged herself in her cell, while her family and lawyers dispute the suicide finding, and her family's lawsuit alleges jail staff failed to keep her safe and falsified checks on her, which the county disputes.

Reported by: Waller County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held her); Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (medical examiner or coroner); Her family and their lawyers (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: Her family sued Waller County and the Texas Department of Public Safety over her death and reached a $1.9 million settlement in 2016, which the county said was not yet final.

News reports (138)

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Questions, a correction, or a death I’ve missed? Email me at orion.j.taylor@gmail.com.