Tomas Beauford
Tomas Beauford, 24, had epilepsy, a severe intellectual disability and mental health disorders; his mother, Tiffany Marsh, remembered him as loving and generous, and his family called him her everything. He died in the Mesa County jail in April 2014, where he was held pretrial. His family's lawsuit alleged that jail staff failed to make sure he took his seizure medication and did not check on him for hours before he was found not breathing, and a deputy's delay in calling for medical help was at issue in a later federal appeal. The autopsy listed the cause as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, and the county and its former medical provider agreed to pay settlements in 2023 without admitting liability.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The autopsy attributed the death to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, while his family's lawsuit says jail staff failed to make sure he took his seizure medication and did not check on him for hours before he was found not breathing.
Reported by: autopsy; his family's lawsuit and attorney David Lane (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued Mesa County and its former jail medical provider, and in 2023 the county agreed to pay $1.6 million and the provider $400,025 to settle the federal civil rights lawsuit, with the defendants not admitting liability.
News reports (3)
- 10th Circuit reinstates claim against Mesa County deputy over inmate’s jail death
- $2M deal ends Mesa County jail lawsuit after death of man with severe intellectual disabilities
- $2M settlement reached in death of Colorado jail inmate who had developmental disabilities: "I feel some type of justice" says mother