Atlanta Inmate 'Eaten Alive' By Bedbugs Died Due To Facility's 'Severe Neglect'

An inmate in Georgia who was "eaten alive" by bedbugs died three months after being booked into jail due to "extreme neglect," according to an independent autopsy report released Monday.

Lashawn Thompson, 35, was booked into the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta in June 2022 and died later that September. Last month, a lawyer for his family, Michael Harper, shared disturbing photos of Thompson's living conditions at the jail.

"The death of Mr. Lashawn Thompson resulted from severe neglect evidenced by untreated schizophrenia, poor living conditions, poor grooming, extensive and severe body insect infestation, dehydration, and rapid weight loss," Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., a former chief medical examiner in Washington, D.C., wrote in the autopsy report, CBS News reported.

The report indicated that Thompson, who weighed 180 pounds when he entered the jail's intake facility on June 12, 2022, lost almost 40 pounds in three months and weighed only 148 pounds when he was autopsied on Sept. 14 last year.

The autopsy found that Thompson also suffered from dehydration. His post-mortem toxicology report showed that Thompson tested negative for medication he was prescribed for schizophrenia, according to Mitchell.

An earlier autopsy performed by the Fulton County medical examiner's office found no obvious signs of trauma on Thompson's body. Although it noted a "severe bed bug infestation," the autopsy listed Thompson's cause and manner of death as undetermined.

Mitchell's independent autopsy report listed the cause of death as complications due to severe neglect and the manner of death as homicide. However, it is not a legal conclusion.

"This man endured a torturous death," Ben Crump, another lawyer for the Thompson family, said Monday.

"It is unfathomable that no one working in this facility lifted a finger to help Lashawn as he slowly died for three months on their watch. Their inaction, cruelty and inhumanity killed him," he added.

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office, which operates Fulton County Jail, previously said that it would make "sweeping changes" at the jail after Thompson's tragic death.

The sheriff, Patrick Labat, said in April that Thompson's death was still being investigated by the Office of Professional Standards and the Atlanta Police Department.

As a show of good faith, Labat said that he asked for the resignations of the chief jailer, assistant chief jailer and the criminal investigative division's assistant chief jailer. They have since resigned from their positions.

"Repercussions for anyone found to be negligent in Mr. Thompson's care could come once the full investigation is turned over to the [Georgia Bureau of Investigations] for review," Labat said Monday.

"I remain committed to making sure the Thompson family receives the answers they need and deserve about the unconscionable circumstances surrounding Mr. Thompson's death," he added.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Georgia has called on the Fulton County district attorney to file criminal charges in the death of Thompson.