A man was “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs” in an Atlanta detention cell, according to his family’s attorney. Lashawn Thompson was determined to be suffering from a mental illness, thus he was detained for misdemeanour and put in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail.
Michael D. Harper, the family’s attorney, released photos showing Thompson’s body covered with insects after his death.
He told reporters that a lawsuit is ongoing and is pushing for a criminal inquiry, reported the BBC.
“Mr Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” Harper said in a statement. “The jail cell Mr Thompson was housed in was not fit for a diseased animal. He did not deserve this,” he added.
Three months after his arrest, Thompson was discovered unconscious in his jail cell on September 19. Despite efforts by medical officials, he could not be revived and was pronounced dead, according to a Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report.
As stated by Harper, jail records reveal guards and medical personnel observed Thompson’s condition was getting worse but did nothing to provide aid or assist him, reported CBS News.
Despite a “severe bed bug infestation” in his psychiatric unit cell, the medical examiner’s report stated that Thompson’s body showed no obvious evidence of trauma.
The reason of death was mentioned in the report as undetermined.
“It’s no secret that the dilapidated and rapidly eroding conditions of the current facility make it incredibly difficult to meet the goal of providing a clean, well-maintained and healthy environment for all inmates and staff,” the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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The Office, which supervises the jail, has said that a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Thompson’s death will be undertaken. The statement added that it has spent an additional $500,000 immediately “to address the infestation of bed bugs, lice, and other vermin within the Fulton County Jail.”
The jail has also updated “protocols for security rounds to include addressing sanitary conditions,” according to the statement.
Bed bug bites are not usually deadly, but in some rare circumstances, prolonged exposure to a massive bed bug infestation can cause severe anaemia, which can be lethal if left untreated, said Michael Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky and a specialist in bed bugs, who spoke to the BBC.
“Bed bugs feed on blood and very large numbers of bed bugs feed on very large amounts of blood,” Potter said.
