Vallia Valene Karaharisis
Vallia Karaharisis, 29, was found dead in her cell at the Bucks County jail in Doylestown on September 29, 2013, three days after she was held there. An autopsy listed the cause as sudden death during heroin withdrawal. Her mother, Loretta Lopez, sued the county and PrimeCare Medical in 2015, alleging Vallia was not properly monitored or treated during withdrawal. The settlement reached in 2016 was sealed until 2024, when the court unsealed the records.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff. The autopsy listed sudden death during heroin withdrawal, and her estate's wrongful-death lawsuit says jail staff and its contractor PrimeCare Medical did not properly monitor or treat her withdrawal.
Reported by: autopsy; estate of Vallia Valene Karaharisis, through a wrongful-death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: Her mother sued Bucks County and PrimeCare Medical in 2015 over her death in the Bucks County jail, and the parties settled in December 2016 with the amount kept under seal until it was unsealed in 2024.