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Died in jail or a lockup

Terral Ellis

26 years old · died October 22, 2015 · Ottawa County Jail, Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Terral Ellis, a 26-year-old father of a young son, turned himself in on a warrant and was held at the Ottawa County Jail in Miami, Oklahoma, in October 2015. His family says he went in healthy and was working to turn his life around for his son. Over about twelve days he developed seizures, pain and numbness, and his family's federal lawsuit says he repeatedly asked for medical help, which staff ignored. He died on October 22, 2015, of sepsis and pneumonia; the medical examiner attributed the death to those causes, and a bedsheet found around his neck was described by the sheriff's office as a mistaken inference by medical staff. A federal jury awarded his family $33 million in 2023, and the county has said it plans to appeal.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner attributed the death to sepsis and pneumonia, and his family's federal lawsuit says jail staff ignored his repeated pleas for medical care for days until he was found unconscious.

Reported by: Ottawa County medical examiner's autopsy (medical examiner or coroner); Terral Ellis's family, through their federal lawsuit and attorney (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His family sued Ottawa County and its sheriff in federal court, and a jury awarded them $33 million in 2023; the county has appealed, and the judgment has grown to about $40 million with interest and fees.

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