An Atlanta jail let bedbugs bite a man awaiting a hearing on his conviction, and now he is dead. LaShawn Thompson’s death occurred in a filthy cell inside Fulton County Jail, the Dailymail reported.
Thompson, 35, who reportedly lived with mental health issues, was found dead in the custody of the Fulton County Jail on Sept. 13, 2022, three months later, according to family attorney Michael D. Harper.
He was arrested on June 12, 2022, for simple battery in Atlanta.
“We are asking for a criminal investigation into the death of Mr. Thompson. We are also asking for the jail to be shut down,” Harper said. “These cells are horrible and not fit for an animal. Mr. Thompson had not even been convicted – he was being held until his trial day.”
Pictures obtained by the Dailymail show the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office noting that Thompson’s body had a “severe bedbug infestation. His body was covered in dark scabs that stood out from his normal skin.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said there were no signs of trauma and listed his death as “undetermined.” However, given that he died with a “severe bedbug infestation,” the family came to the logical conclusion that he must have succumbed to the pressure of being eaten alive by bedbugs.
“The scene was so horrific that the detention officer said she would not even administer CPR when they found him because she was, in her words, freaked out by the scene,” Harper said.
The signs of his deteriorating body while in custody were obvious, according to the Thompson family, who have records showing that medical staff at the jailhouse ignored his pleas for help but did nothing to help him.
“They literally watched his health decline until he died,” a statement from the family read. “Mr Thompson was housed in was not fit for a diseased animal. He did not deserve this. Someone has to be held accountable for his death.”
A November open records request filed last year by the Southern Center for Human Rights found that there were “outbreaks of scabies and lice” at the Fulton County Jail, and that the jail was “dangerously understaffed and overcrowded” to correct the problems.
“According to documents obtained through an open records request, medical professionals brought in to assess the September outbreak found that 100 percent of the people held in one unit had either lice, scabies and or both,” according to the organization.
At least 10 people died in custody at the prison last year.
