Man “Eaten Alive” By Insects In Atlanta Jail Cell

A man died in a filthy jail cell in Atlanta, Georgia, after being “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” his family’s representative said Wednesday.

Lashawn Thompson, 35, was found dead in Fulton County Jail on Sept. 13, 2022, according to a report from the Fulton County Medical Examiner provided by Thompson’s family. He had been arrested on June 12, 2022 for misdemeanor simple battery, and after being determined as having mental health issues, he was placed in a psychiatric wing of the jail, according to the family’s lawyer. Three months later, he was found unresponsive in his cell in the wing, covered in what records described as a “severe bed bug infestation.” The cell was so filthy that the worker who entered it wore a hazmat suit, the Washington Post reported.

“The officer stated that it is unknown the last time the decedent was seen as the case continues to be investigated,” a statement shared by the family’s lawyer, Michael Harper, said. “When his body was found one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words she ‘freaked out.’”

Graphic photos released alongside the family’s press release depicted Thompson’s face, neck and upper body covered in pockmarked lesions, and dead bugs stuck to his face. Jail records stated that the medical examiner’s cause of death was undetermined.