Tiffany Reeves
Tiffany Reeves, 37, was a mother of three sons from Smyrna, Delaware, and friends said she was working to stay sober. She died on October 8, 2018, while held at Sussex Correctional Institution near Georgetown, two days after she was placed there, and the Delaware Department of Correction announced the death without releasing a cause. Her mother, Janice Grossnickle, said she was told the autopsy showed no signs of foul play or trauma, and a former cellmate said Reeves lay unresponsive for hours in their cell before guards were alerted. The family's federal lawsuit alleges that a contracted nurse failed to give Reeves prescribed methadone for withdrawal and then falsified records; the suit was dismissed on procedural grounds, and that dismissal was affirmed on appeal. A later state investigation found no foul play, and a former facility nurse was convicted of misdemeanors after her statements to investigators were found to be inconsistent.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). Her family's lawsuit says a contracted nurse withheld the methadone she needed for opioid withdrawal and falsified records, while the state investigation found no foul play and her former cellmate said she lay unresponsive for hours before guards were alerted.
Reported by: her family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her mother sued in federal court in 2021 over her death at Sussex Correctional Institution; the suit was dismissed on procedural grounds and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal, with no payment reported.
Sources (8)
- Woman, 37, held on $1,202 bail dies at Sussex Correctional Institution near Georgetown
- Delaware Department of Correction: Inmate Death - Tiffany Reeves
- Little is known about how Smyrna woman died in Delaware prison
- Cellmate recounts last hours of woman's life in Delaware prison
- Former Connections nurse convicted of falsifying records, lying to investigators about inmate death
- Former Connections employee convicted in connection with handling of inmate death
- Former Nurse at a Delaware Prison Convicted in Connection with Death Probe
- Bad Lawyering, Bankruptcy Torpedo Suit Over Delaware Prisoner's Death