Susanne Burgaz
Susanne Burgaz, 54, was held at the Jefferson County Jail in Colorado, where she had listed St. Francis Center, a Denver homeless shelter, as her home. She was found hanging from television cords in a dayroom on August 31, 2017, and died at a hospital after doctors removed her from life support. Her family's federal lawsuit says deputies failed to monitor her closely although she was listed as suicidal, and that a deputy walked past the dayroom without looking in. A district attorney's review found the guards were not criminally negligent, and a 2022 Colorado Court of Appeals ruling upheld dismissal of a negligence claim against the sheriff as filed too late.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Jefferson County Jail officials and the sheriff's account say Suzanne Burgaz hanged herself with a television cord; her family's federal lawsuit says deputies failed to monitor her closely despite her suicidal listing and a deputy walked past the dayroom without looking in.
Reported by: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held her); Susanne Burgaz's family, in a federal wrongful-death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Colorado Court of Appeals (court).
Lawsuit: Her family filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit over her death at the Jefferson County Jail, and federal claims against the deputies were later dismissed, with no payment reported.