A male inmate in his 30s died at a prison in Atlanta, USA. The bereaved family insisted that the man died from a bedbug bite and demanded a fact-finding investigation.
According to the Washington Post (WP) of the United States on the 14th (local time), Rashaun Thompson (35), who was imprisoned in Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, was found dead in his cell on September 13 last year. He met his death about three months after being incarcerated for a misdemeanor.
Investigators conducted an autopsy on Thompson to determine the cause of death. As a result, the exact cause of death could not be revealed, but severe bite marks were found all over his body from insects presumed to be bed bugs. In addition, wounds and lesions from repeated bites were found on his face and all over his upper and lower body.
As a result of the autopsy, the bereaved family said in a press release on the 12th that “Thompson was eaten alive by bedbugs.” claimed.
“Thompson was in good health prior to his incarceration,” he said, citing case reports that he was found dead covered in filth and bed bugs.
Life of Lashaun Thompson, who died at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. @ClaraTGreen twitter captureCiting prison records, the bereaved families claimed, “When Thompson was found dead, the cell was so dirty that the staff who went to recover the body had to wear protective clothing.”
Thompson’s brother, one of the bereaved, released a picture of the prison cell where Thompson was imprisoned, saying, “It’s so terrible, but I’m posting it to explain the abuse my brother suffered.”
Regarding this, the prison side said, “It was determined that Thompson had a mental problem and was transferred to a psychiatric ward in the prison, after which he died.”
In response, the bereaved family refuted, saying, “I did not even know that he was detained (in such a prison) until I received a phone call saying he had died.” At the same time, the prison authorities claimed that they did not take appropriate action even after confirming that Thompson’s condition had deteriorated in a few months.
Bedbugs have a body length of 6.5 to 9 mm and live by sucking the blood of various creatures, including humans. When a person is bitten by a small number of bedbugs, only an unpleasant itch is felt, but when a person is bitten by a large number of them, it can cause itching and sleep deprivation.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.