He was allegedly “eaten alive” by bugs in his filthy cell, according to the grieving relatives of a Georgia prisoner who died there last October. They demanded a criminal probe into the tragedy on Friday.
On September 13, LaShawn Thompson, 35, was discovered unconscious in his cell in the mental department of the Fulton County Jail.
Thompson has been detained since his June arrest for misdemeanour simple violence, according to a statement sent to The Post on Friday by Thompson’s family’s lawyer, Michael D. Harper.
“Three months later Mr. Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” Harper said.
“When his body was found one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words she ‘freaked out.’ The jail cell Mr. Thompson was housed in was not fit for a diseased animal. He did not deserve this.”
Harper’s statement was accompanied by disturbing photos of Thompson’s cell, which is filthy and littered with trash.
The defibrillator pads on Thompson’s chest are seen in one photograph along with his emaciated physique, which is covered in what seem to be tiny bug bites.
The Fulton County medical examiner’s report, which puts Thompson’s cause of death as unknown but mentions a “severe bed bug infestation” in his cell, was also supplied to The Post by Harper.
This week, Harper stated to USA Today that Thompson’s family is “demanding a criminal investigation into the matter and (significant) changes at the jail.”
On Thursday, Thompson’s family members gathered in front of the Fulton County courthouse to demand justice.
“The ongoing investigation is examining details regarding the medical care provided and ultimately will determine whether any criminal charges are warranted in this case,” the statement said.