Shannon Jefferson
Shannon Rose Jefferson was a member of the Lummi Nation and the mother of six children, and her mother, Vicky Jefferson, cares for four of them. A jail officer found her hanging in her isolation cell at the Whatcom County Jail in Washington on March 10, 2014, and she died at a hospital about five hours later. Her family's wrongful death lawsuit says jail and contracted medical and mental health staff did not flag her mental health history, did not complete a required mental health referral within 72 hours, and ignored her known suicide risk. The jail said it had no prior record of suicidal behavior by her, and one report says the family has settled the lawsuit against the county.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Her family's wrongful death lawsuit says jail staff ignored her known suicide risk and did not complete a required mental health referral, and the family has since settled the suit against the county; the jail said it had no prior record of suicidal behavior by her.
Reported by: Whatcom County Jail (the agency that held her); Her family's wrongful death lawsuit and lawyer Ryan Dreveskracht (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her family sued Whatcom County and its contracted medical and mental health staff in a wrongful death lawsuit, and the family has settled the suit against the county for an amount not reported.