Timothy Beckmann
Timothy Beckmann, 64, was a father of five from St. Louis, according to a KMBC investigation, and advocates say he was desperate for help but did not know how to get it. He was held at the Jackson County Detention Center in Kansas City while he waited for a state psychiatric bed for court-ordered mental health treatment. He was found unresponsive in his cell on May 19, 2025, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Jackson County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident from choking, and KMBC reports from the sheriff's case file that no one entered his cell for more than five and a half hours and that scheduled visual checks were missed. His public defenders say his health deteriorated while he waited and call his death preventable, and the county prosecutor declined charges against jail staff.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (disputed; neglect alleged). The Jackson County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident, but a KMBC investigation of the sheriff's case file reports that no one checked his cell for more than five and a half hours and scheduled visual checks were missed, and his public defenders call the death preventable.
Reported by: Jackson County Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); KMBC investigation of the sheriff's case file (reporters); his public defenders.
News reports (4)
- Man dies in KC jail after waiting months for court-ordered mental health treatment
- Man dies in Jackson County jail after waiting months for court-ordered mental health treatment
- Lost in Missouri jail cells: Why there's a backlog of defendants deemed mentally unfit for trial
- Man’s jail choking death highlights staffing concerns, long Missouri mental health waitlist