An Indiana man diagnosed with schizophrenia died of organ failure — the result of dehydration and malnutrition — following nearly three weeks in solitary confinement at the Jackson County Jail, according to a newly filed lawsuit.
Joshua McLemore, who also struggled with substance abuse, was suffering an “acute mental health crisis” and was rushed to hospital on July 20, 2021. His mother became concerned when she was unable to get in touch with him, so she reached out to McLemore’s apartment manager, who found him naked, confused, and disoriented.
McLemore was arrested the same night for pulling a nurse’s hair while in the emergency room. He was charged with battery against a public official and criminal mischief damage, and taken to the Jackson County Jail.
“Jailers immediately placed Josh in a small, windowless, padded isolation cell, where he remained confined, naked, alone, and in a constant state of psychosis for the next 20 days,” according to the lawsuit.
“The only times Josh got to leave his cell were when guards would forcibly remove him and strap him into restraint devices so they could put him under a shower and clean his cell,” the suit continues.
The cell was always “filthy” because of McLemore’s mental state. While food was regularly delivered to his door, the 29-year-old would dump some or all of it on the floor of his cell, which was also covered with urine, feces, and torn food containers.
“Because of his psychosis, he ate and drank very little while locked in isolation,” the lawsuit reads. “Jail staff were aware of this from personal observations and from being able to monitor all of Josh’s activities through a continuous real-time video feed.”
McLemore lost almost 45 pounds during his nearly three weeks in solitary, but jail officials did not intervene or provide mental health care “until it was too late,” the suit says. He was ultimately airlifted to a hospital in Cincinnati, where he died two days later.
According to an official autopsy, his cause of death was multiple organ failure due to refusal to eat or drink with altered mental status due to untreated schizophrenia.
The suit, filed on behalf of McLemore’s estate, names Jackson County and its sheriff Rick Meyer, three jail employees, a doctor who oversaw clinical issues and procedures for the county and jail, and the company that provides health care services at the facility, Advanced Correctional Healthcare.
“Josh suffered and died because of multiple failures by county staff and supervisors, as well as systemic deficiencies and unconstitutional customs, practices, and conditions at the Jackson County Jail,” according to the suit. “His condition was treatable, and his death was preventable.”