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At a press conference on Thursday, Sachanowicz stated that the lawsuit filed on behalf of Janice Dotson-Stephens' family referred to three accused: Bexar County, Bexar County Hospital District, and the United States. of pre-judgment of Bexar County. The family believes that these entities are responsible for the violation of Dotson-Stephens' civil rights and, ultimately, the cause of his death.
CNN contacted the defendants in the context of the lawsuit. Monica Ramos, information officer for Bexar County, said the county had not yet been notified of the lawsuit. "We can not comment for the moment," said Ramos.
A sheriff's office spokesman referred all the questions to the prosecutor. CNN contacted the general counsel and the hospital district of Bexar and did not hear any news.
Dotson-Stephens, 61, was arrested on July 18 in Bexar County and charged with criminal trespass. His family was not aware of his arrest until they were informed of his death.
The sheriff's office stated that Dotson-Stephens had died of natural causes. According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, the cause of death was atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. They also cited schizoaffective disorder, a chronic mental health disorder characterized by symptoms of schizophrenia, as a contributing factor.
Michelle Dotson, daughter of Dotson-Stephens, said at the press conference that her mother had already been arrested, but that she had usually undergone a medical examination at the prison before going to a prison. psychiatric facility. However, this time, Dotson's mother was registered under an incorrect name and her family could not find her. She also stated that her mother had never been sent to a psychiatric facility.
"There was some negligence, we do not know where it fell," said Dotson.
According to court records, Dotson-Stephens waived a hearing on July 23 and refused to be questioned several times after his arrest. In August, she was sentenced to undergo a psychiatric assessment after refusing to appear in court. Her record shows that she was waiting for this assessment.
"What we are convinced is that their mother was ignored to death … there was a culture of deliberate indifference for her and the other inmates," Sachanowicz said. "We believe that there has been a violation of Sandra Bland's law."
"At the moment, we only want answers, it's devastating, I know my mother was mentally ill, but it was our mother was a good mother," said Dotson.
CNN's Hollie Silverman, Omari White and Pamela Kirkland contributed to this report.
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