Attorneys representing Louisville woman who died in Indiana jail seeking answers in her death
A well-known legal team representing the family of a Louisville woman who died in custody gave an update on the investigation Thursday.
Sam Aguiar, Lonita Baker and Ben Crump, the team who helped Breonna Taylor's family, have taken on Ta’neasha Chappell's case.
Chappell was incarcerated at the Jackson County Jail when something happened Friday that had her transported to a hospital in Seymour, Indiana, where she died. Chappell was locked up in May after allegedly shoplifting from an outlet mall in Indiana, then leading police on a high-speed chase that ended in Clark County.
Authorities have not gone into detail about what happened.
"What happened to my sister is unfair and I just want justice, I want answers," said Ronesha Murrell, Ta'Neasha's sister.
Baker emphasized that the goal of the investigation is to get more answers from officials about Chappell's death.
"The only response that we've got thus far is that they believe that it was something chemically related," she said.
Information has been limited from the jail as Indiana State Police are investigating. Prior to Chappell's death, she was visibly sick and had a fever that required workers to test her temperature every 15 minutes.
"They kept her that way and kept her without proper medical care for nearly 24 hours before finding her unresponsive and then calling EMS," said Baker.
Baker says during their investigation and interviews with former inmates, they've heard about the conditions of the cells and the jail. She says that some cells had sewage backup.
"The conditions at the Jackson County Jail are what we describe as cruel and unusual punishment. No human should be subjected to those conditions," she said.
The 23-year-old had previously told family members she was concerned someone was going to kill her behind bars.
Her family is now concerned about her death and the lack of details they've received. The attorneys said in a statement that it appears Chappell's face was swollen and beaten, and that her medical needs were ignored. They did not give any details to back up those claims.
Baker says they're waiting for the coroner's autopsy, they're also going to get an independent medical exam done. She says there are also cameras inside the jail which could answer a lot of questions.
Baker says they have sent a notice to the jail to save the footage as they continue to investigate what happened. Both she and Chappell's sister also allege racism in the jail -- from workers and even other inmates.
"They made something look like a noose and they were calling her the N-word a lot," said Murrell.
State police said they are awaiting the autopsy before releasing any more information.