An Atlanta man died in jail after being “eaten alive” by insects, his family’s attorney told USA TODAY Thursday. LaShawn Thompson, 35, was reportedly found unresponsive in his cell Sept. 19 and declared dead after first responders failed to save his life. At the time of his death, Thompson showed no signs of trauma but was covered in bed bugs. “Mr. Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” said his family’s lawyer, Michael D. Harper. Harper said the family is pursuing a criminal investigation and for major changes to be made at the jail after the horrid conditions Thompson allegedly endured. “They literally watched his health decline until he died,” Harper said. “When his body was found, one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words, she ‘freaked out.’ The jail cell Mr. Thompson was housed in was not fit for a diseased animal. He did not deserve this.” Thompson was arrested for misdemeanor simple battery in Atlanta last summer and placed in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail after officials established he was mentally ill.
