Detainee held in jail ‘freezer’ died of hypothermia, suit says. Death ruled homicide
A 33-year-old man was detained — and neglected — inside a frigid, isolated jail cell referred to as the “freezer” by corrections officers, according to a federal lawsuit, which says he died of hypothermia.
Officers are accused of purposely exposing Anthony “Tony” Mitchell, a pretrial detainee who was arrested during a welfare check, to freezing temperatures overnight from Jan. 25 to Jan. 26, the day of his death, at Walker County Jail in Alabama, the lawsuit says.
They directed “extremely cold” air into his cell using the facility’s climate control system, according to an amended complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
Now, Mitchell’s death certificate has been made public.
He died of hypothermia, as well as “sepsis resulting from infected injuries obtained during incarceration and medical neglect” according to the certificate obtained by Mitchell’s family on Feb. 29 and provided to McClatchy News.
Mitchell was denied medical care for more than two weeks in jail, when he had open wounds while surrounded by feces, and was also denied water for about three days, the complaint says.
The manner of Mitchell’s death was ruled a homicide, according to his death certificate.
Below the homicide determination, the certificate lists a section titled “How injury occurred,” with “see autopsy report” as the response.
Mitchell’s family hasn’t seen his autopsy report as of March 1, Jon C. Goldfarb, the lead Birmingham-based attorney representing the lawsuit, told McClatchy News.
“The family looks forward to receiving the autopsy report and perhaps that will provide them with some answers about what happened to Tony,” Goldfarb said.
Margaret Mitchell, Mitchell’s mother, filed the lawsuit against several defendants, including Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith, who was present during Mitchell’s arrest and detention, and jail staff members, McClatchy News previously reported.
The civil case has been paused because of pending criminal and administrative investigations, court records show.
Randy McNeill, one of the attorneys representing sheriff Smith and corrections officers named as defendants, told McClatchy News on March 1 that “because of the ongoing investigation, I do not think that I should comment.”
On Jan. 30, 2023, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced it was investigating Mitchell’s death following a request from the sheriff’s office, according to a news release.
Now, the FBI is also investigating, ABC 33/40 reported.
Smith told the TV station on Feb. 29 that his “office has provided all video footage documenting Mitchell’s two-week stay at Walker County Jail along with any other documents required by SBI and the FBI for a comprehensive examination.”
“Recently completed autopsy brings us closer to uncovering truth behind case but due to the ongoing investigations I am unable discuss details right now,” he said.
‘Worst case of inmate abuse I have ever seen’
Mitchell, described as a “beloved son and brother,” struggled with drug addiction, which worsened after his father died in late 2022, according to the lawsuit.
On Jan. 12, 2022, Mitchell’s cousin realized he was in “serious need of psychiatric help” after Mitchell arrived to his home disheveled, emaciated and in a delusional state, the complaint says.
After his cousin called 911, Walker County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded, according to the complaint.
Ultimately, deputies responded for a welfare check and found Mitchell in the front yard with a handgun before he fired a shot toward them and ran away into the nearby woods, according to a Jan. 13 Facebook post from the sheriff’s office, McClatchy News reported in February 2023.
The post is no longer available as of March 1.
During the next 14 days, he was subjected to “horrendous” conditions before he was taken to Walker Baptist Hospital with an internal body temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the complaint.
There, an emergency room physician tried to resuscitate Mitchell for more than three hours but was unsuccessful, according to the complaint.
In a note, the physician wrote it was “difficult” to understand why Mitchell’s body temperature was so low, the complaint says.
Instead of medical professionals, deputies drove Mitchell to the hospital, because no one called an ambulance for him even though he obviously needed medical help, the complaint says.
According to the lawsuit, Mitchell’s heart stopped beating before they made it there that morning.
They arrived at the hospital “over five hours after deputies were captured on video laughing and joking while Tony lay naked on the cement floor of his cell in obvious need of emergency medical treatment,” the complaint says.
On the evening of Feb. 29, a crowd rallied outside of the sheriff’s office, demanding justice for Mitchell, ABC 33/40 reported.
In a previous statement to McClatchy News, Goldfarb described what happened to Mitchell as “the worst case of inmate abuse I have ever seen.”
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