Ta’Neasha Chappell
Ta'Neasha Chappell, 23, was a mother to a young daughter, Nevaeh, and her family remembers her as vibrant, funny and loving, someone who cared for people on the street. Over many hours on July 15 and 16, 2021, she repeatedly told staff at the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, Indiana, that she was vomiting blood and needed a hospital, according to audio and records her family's attorneys obtained. The family says an ambulance was not called until about 24 hours after she first complained of pain, and she died at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour on July 16, 2021. The autopsy found probable toxicity from an unknown substance and listed the manner of death as undetermined; the prosecutor and Indiana State Police found no crimes by staff or other people held there, but her family alleges she was poisoned and that jail staff neglected her. Medical experts disagree on the cause of death, and a federal lawsuit over her care against the county is still pending.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The Jackson County medical examiner recorded probable toxicity from an unknown substance with the manner undetermined, while her family's lawsuit says jail staff ignored hours of her calls for help and that she was poisoned.
Reported by: Jackson County medical examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Indiana State Police (outside investigators); Jackson County Prosecutor (outside investigators); medical experts hired by her estate; her family and attorneys; other people held at the jail.
Lawsuit: Her family sued Jackson County jail officials in federal court, seeking $30 million, and the case was still pending in reporting; a $5.5 million settlement offer was reported as disputed within her estate.
Sources (33)
- News report
- ISP: Louisville woman dies while in custody at Jackson County Jail
- State Police investigating death of Jackson County Jail inmate
- Black Woman Who Died in Custody at Indiana Jail Sparks Questions
- Indiana State Police Investigating Death of Black Woman in Custody
- Family of Louisville woman who died in Indiana jail hires Breonna Taylor's legal team
- Attorney describes conditions at jail before Ta’Neasha Chappell’s death as ‘cruel and unusual punishment’
- Family seeks answers surrounding inmate’s death
- Medical records reveal more about hours leading up to death of Louisville woman in custody
- Ta’Neasha Chappell: New details emerge from former inmate at Jackson County Jail following woman’s death in custody
- Attorney: Jackson County Jail Inmate Poisoned
- Lawsuit claims wrongful death in Indiana jail case, family seeks $30 million
- Lawsuit alleges wrongful death of jail inmate
- Family of Louisville woman who died in southern Indiana jail files lawsuit
- Jackson County Sheriff’s Office sued over jail death
- Family of Ta’Neasha Chappell upset prosecution not moving forward in death investigation
- No charges being filed in death of Louisville woman at Indiana jail; family says staff was negligent
- Inmate’s cause of death ruled ‘undetermined,’ sheriff’s department cleared of wrongdoing
- Chappell's sister vows to keep fighting after Jackson County prosecutor's report released
- New surveillance video from Jackson County Jail shows hours before Ta’Neasha Chappell’s death
- Read full 15-page Jackson County Prosecutor's office findings in Ta'Neasha Chappell jail death
- New jail recordings confirm Ta’Neasha Chappell told officers she was vomiting blood hours before her death
- Jail audio depicts Chappell pleading for help for hours before her death
- Family members, activists appeal to Jackson County commissioners in Ta'Neasha Chappell case
- A year after her death, Ta'Neasha Chappell's family is still looking for answers
- A Young Mom Was Arrested for Theft — and Died Mysteriously in Jail
- She told jail employees that she was 'throwing up blood.' They ignored her. The next day, she was dead.
- Jackson County Jail: Wrongdoing denied in inmate death
- Jackson County: Lawsuit response filed in inmate death
- Indiana jail workers believed Louisville woman who died in custody was ‘faking it,’ records show
- Family seeks to reject $5.5 million settlement in Jackson County Jail inmate death case
- How Neglect and Oversight Let Ta'Neasha Chappell Die