Lawyer claims bed bugs ate inmate alive in Atlanta jail
3 Min Read
Thompson’s shocking story reflects the extreme conditions at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where horrific sanitary conditions are among other problems plaguing the prison.
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An undated picture of Lashawn Thompson (Harper Law Firm)
A Black man from Atlanta died in a local jail after being eaten alive by bed bugs, claimed a lawyer representing the man’s family.
Thompson's family is demanding a criminal probe into their son's death, as well as the replacement of the local jail after claiming that Thompson, 35, died in custody from bed bugs in a filthy jail cell.
On the basis of a misdemeanor charge, Thompson was detained in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. In further detail, jail officials decided to place Thompson in the facility's psychiatric section after learning that he had mental health issues.
Three months after being detained, on September 13, 2022, Thompson was found dead in a deteriorating cell filled with filth and insects. According to the Washington Post, the cell was so grimy that an employee had to enter wearing a hazmat suit.
“They left him there essentially,” said Michael Harper, a lawyer representing the Thompson family, as quoted by the Insider.
“And they had a plan to take him to the medical observation unit, but their plan never happened, and they found him dead, eaten by these bed bugs,” Harper added.
The Post reported that Thompson's family, who reside in Alabama, only knew about his imprisonment after they informed them of his death.
'Not fit for an animal'
The cause of Thompson's death was not determined by an autopsy. It was observed that his body had an "extremely severe" infestation of tiny insects, and his cell had a "severe bed bug infestation."
The findings also supported Thompson's claims that he had cuts and wounds all over his body from skin-picking.
The shocking state of Thompson's cell and Thompson's infestation with bugs are depicted in graphic images released by Harper.
In a press conference on Thursday, Thompson's brother, Brad McCrae, said the family found the pictures upsetting to view, WSB-TV reported.
“It was heartbreaking because nobody should be seen like that. Nobody should see that,” said McCrae.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office announced in a statement to WSB-TV that they had begun a thorough investigation into Thompson's death and had committed $500,000 to deal with vermin outbreaks in the facility.
“If you look at those pictures, how deplorable that jail cell was, how did they get to that point in the first place?” said Harper as quoted by the Post. “It’s not fit for an animal.”
Not an isolated incident: In January, an American Black man starved to death in US prisons. The prison neglected his mental and physical health where he was put in solitary confinement and forced into eating his own feces after he couldn't afford a $100 bail following his arrest.
As the depth of dysfunction at US prisons is manifested in these cases, authorities are seemingly downplaying the crisis over the past years.
Read more: Missouri black man executed despite possible evidence of racism
