BELL COUNTY, Texas — The family of Eli Gauna, a Bell County Jail inmate who committed suicide in his cell, filed a federal lawsuit against Bell County and a contract medical services provider.
According to Dean Malone, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Guana's mother, there were "significant records" in the Bell County Jail system related to Guana's history of mental health issues.
Malone added a licensed vocational nurse had initially placed Guana on suicide watch after he completed an interview and a standardized mental health form, but a social worker had placed him in the general jail population.
Guana used a bed sheet to hang himself in his cell and was not discovered for around 10 minutes, Malone said. Guana was taken to the hospital and died about a month later after being taken off of life support.
“Too many prisoners in Texas county jails are dying as a result of suicide," Malone said. "The Sandra Bland incident brought attention to this issue, and some changes have been made. However, when jail personnel are faced with a prisoner with a significant history of suicide, and who expresses a plan to kill himself, jail personnel must take immediate action. Unfortunately for Eli, that did not happen. Hopefully, the filing of this lawsuit will lead to further changes in Texas jails.”
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