Lashawn Thompson, 35, was arrested on June 12, 2022, for a misdemeanor simple battery charge. He was sent to Fulton County Jail and placed in the psychiatric wing because he had mental health issues. Three months later, on September 19, Thompson “was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” family attorney Michael Harper said in a statement on Facebook (WARNING: disturbing images).

On Monday, attorney Benjamin Crump, who is also representing Thompson’s family, held a press conference and said Thompson had schizophrenia and didn’t receive the medication he needed. Crump added that Thompson was neglected for 93 days and became malnourished and dehydrated, losing 30 pounds.

“…[I]t is the opinion of this forensic pathologist that Mr. Lashawn Thompson died due to severe neglect,” wrote the pathologist hired by Thompson’s family to conduct an autopsy. “The combination of dehydration, rapid weight loss, and malnutrition complicated by untreated decompensated schizophrenia led to a fatal cardiac arrythmia of Lashawn Thompson. Had Mr. Thompson received adequate care during his incarceration at the Fulton County Jail then he would not have died at the time that he did.”