Shannon Hanchett
Shannon Hanchett, known to friends and customers as the Cookie Queen, ran a bakery in downtown Norman, Oklahoma, and was the mother of two sons. Friends said she appeared to be in a mental health crisis before she was taken into the Cleveland County Detention Center, where she died on December 8, 2022, less than two weeks after being booked. A state medical examiner's autopsy listed heart failure as the cause, with psychosis and severe dehydration as significant contributing factors, and her husband Daniel Hanchett sued the Cleveland County sheriff on her estate's behalf, alleging she did not receive the mental health care she needed. Cleveland County commissioners later approved a $20 million settlement by a 2-1 vote, while a separate federal lawsuit was dismissed in August 2025.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The state medical examiner's autopsy lists heart failure, with psychosis and severe dehydration as contributing factors, while her husband's lawsuit alleges she was denied the mental health care she needed and that the defendants contributed to her death.
Reported by: state medical examiner; Daniel Hanchett's lawsuit against the Cleveland County sheriff (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her husband, Daniel Hanchett, sued the Cleveland County sheriff on behalf of her estate, and Cleveland County commissioners approved a $20 million settlement, with $18 million from county tax levies and $2 million from insurance, while a separate federal suit was dismissed.