An Atlanta man was found dead inside a squalid jail cell after being “eaten alive” by insects and bed bugs, an attorney representing the victim’s family alleged.
According to Guardian, Lashawn Thompson’s family is seeking a criminal investigation into the victim’s death and for closure and replacement of the local jail.
Thompson was arrested on a misdemeanour charge and jailed in Fulton County. He was later moved to the facility’s psychiatric unit after officials determined he had mental issues but was physically fine.
Three months after being arrested, the victim was found dead in a filthy cell which was covered in grime and insects. According to Washington Post, the cell was so dirty that an employee wore a safety suit before entering.
“They left him there essentially,” said Michael Harper, a lawyer representing the Thompson family, to Insider.
“And they had the plan to take him to the medical observation unit, but their plan never happened, and they found him dead, eaten by these bed bugs.”
The victim’s family was unaware of his arrest and only got to know when they received the news about his death, reported Washington Post.
The autopsy revealed that the victim had an “extremely severe” infestation of small insects on his body and there was a “severe bed bug infestation” in his cell.
He also had cuts and wounds along his body from picking his skin, as per the report.
“It was heartbreaking because nobody should be seen like that. Nobody should see that,” said Thompson’s brother after seeing the photos of his brother.
An investigation has been initiated into the death of the 35-year-old man, however, the family said that more needed to be done in order to improve the jail conditions.