DENTON COUNTY, Texas — Denton County and its sheriff, Tracy Murphree, as well as several other county personnel, are being sued in connection with the death of an inmate at the county's jail last year.
The suit, filed on behalf of the inmate Heath Vandeventer, accuses the county and other defendants of wrongful death, deliberate indifference and negligence in the case of Vandeventer's death, who was determined to have died of dehydration while being held in the Denton County Jail.
Vandeventer was arrested by Denton police on July 7, 2023, the suit states, and booked into the Denton County Jail the next day.
The suit states Vandeventer was having a mental health crisis when the plaintiff and Vandeventer's heir, Lanette Silvey, called 911 for help. Upon police arrival, the suit details that Vandeventer had barricaded himself in a room with a large piece of furniture, but police eventually forced their way in. Police found him naked on his bed, then arrested him and took him to the jail.
Vandeventer was kept in a single cell, where the suit states it was impossible for guards not to be able to see him at all times. Food and water were regularly given to him and reportedly taken away later without him ever touching either. The suit states the jail had been made aware of Vandeventer's multiple previous hospitalizations for psychosis, multiple court orders for involuntary inpatient treatment and history of suicidal ideations.
"Defendants, individually and or jointly and severally as set forth above, with the knowledge (or should have known) that Heath Vandeventer was starving to death and becoming severely dehydrated, did nothing to prevent or ameliorate this declining situation despite the ability to do so," the suit states.
Silvey's reportedly repeated attempts to see Vandeventer given proper supervision and care from the jail were fruitless, the suit details.
"There is no evidence that either the known mental health concerns of Heath Vandeventer or the repeated contact by Plaintiff resulted in any action being taken by any Defendant to stop or otherwise prevent the death of Heath Vandeventer," the suit reads.
Due to the way he was kept in a single cell, the suit states that Vandeventer was completely dependent on jail staff to ensure his needs were met.
"As a result of the policies in place on the date of Heath Vandeventer’s arrest and thereafter, Mr. Vandeventer was allowed to slowly and painfully die over the two month period he was in the Denton County jail," the suit states.
Vandeventer's corpse was removed on Sept. 13, 2023. On the day of his incarceration, the suit states Vandeventer weighed 300 pounds. On the day of his death, he reportedly weighed 195 pounds.
The suit is asking that the plaintiff recover monetary damages due to the events and is also asking for a temporary injunction against the county to prevent this conduct from happening to any future inmates in the jail.
WFAA reached out to Denton County for comment but has not heard back as of Wednesday evening.
The Denton County Jail is not the only jail in North Texas to have inmates die of dehydration. Three prisoners suffering from mental illness at the Tarrant County Jail were also found to have died from dehydration, despite having water fountains in their cells.
