Tony May Jr.
Tony May Jr., 26, died in August 2016 while held at the Beltrami County Jail in Minnesota. According to Sheriff Bill Hodapp's office, other people held there found him unresponsive in his cell just before 7:00 a.m. and alerted staff, and Fire and EMS personnel tried lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial reports attributed his death to sudden cardiac arrest, and he had a heart defect called myocardial bridging. His mother, Aldene Morrison, sued the county in 2019, saying the county and jail staff neglected his medical needs and that inmate checks were too rushed to detect signs of life. The county's attorney said the county intends to defend the case.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's office said no cause had been given and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office were investigating, while his mother Aldene Morrison's 2019 lawsuit says jail staff neglected his medical needs and that inmate checks were too rushed to detect signs of life; the lawsuit also cites a 'sudden cardiac arrest' cause from initial reports.
Reported by: Beltrami County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff Bill Hodapp) (the agency that held him); Aldene Morrison's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother sued Beltrami County and jail staff in 2019 over his death, alleging neglect of his medical needs and rushed inmate checks, and the county says it intends to defend the case.