A Texas county jail dumped a female inmate at a hospital after ignoring her pain for three days — telling her daughter, “I had to f—ing throw myself on the floor so they could f—ing come get me” — before her eventual death from acute sepsis and organ failure, according to her family’s lawsuit.
Melissa de la Cruz, 45, was not even transported to the hospital in an ambulance, according to her family, who is suing for “mental anguish” as a result of what their loved one allegedly experienced in April 2023. According to the family’s complaint, medical personnel at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center “jokingly blamed Melissa’s issues on allegedly eating Hot Cheetos, Takis, and pickles,” rather than treating de la Cruz’s “serious pain” from health problems that would soon result in her death.
“Melissa had been found on the floor, apparently cursing and yelling due to the extreme pain level,” according to the paperwork.
The Hidalgo County jail allegedly cut corners in assisting de la Cruz in order to “save money,” according to the woman’s family. The complaint alleges that they would accomplish this by “failing or refusing to transport detainees who vitally needed emergency medical care to a hospital,” including de la Cruz.
“Instead of calling an ambulance, which would have medical personnel who could assist, it appears that the sheriff’s department chose to drive Melissa to the hospital in an apparent county vehicle,” according to her relatives. “This was a misguided attempt to save money.”
According to the complaint, jail staff did not provide adequate care for de la Cruz, as there was only one medical doctor available to see inmates for “six hours each week.”
“The County was deliberately indifferent regarding policies, practices, and customs developed or used related to issues addressed,” according to the lawsuit.
De la Cruz was detained at the Hidalgo County Jail for a month after being arrested in March 2023 on a failure to appear warrant for felony drug possession. Melissa’s family claims that on April 10 of that year, she began experiencing “strong chest pains, and her legs were hurting.” She allegedly contacted her family and informed “one or more jailers, and one or more jailers contacted the medical department,” according to the complaint.
“No one would answer at the jail’s medical department,” the family claims. “Melissa’s daughter indicated that she would contact the jail regarding Melissa’s severe pain. Melissa stated in a phone call on April 11, 2023, ‘I still feel like s—, but my body hurts.’ Her pain from a life-threatening illness persisted.
De la Cruz called her daughter several times and told her she was feeling “like s—” and that being in jail was not helping.
“I have not been able to keep anything down. “I’m throwing up everything,” de la Cruz told her daughter, Ashlee Gonzalez, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of her three children.
Melissa told Gonzalez during a phone call on April 12, 2023, that she had been sick all night. I had to f—ing throw myself on the floor so they could come and get me.” The speaker reported “ugly pain … like bad” and “it f—ing hurts” in areas near her stomach and back.
On April 13, 2023, de la Cruz began to feel severe abdominal pain, low blood pressure, and an elevated heart rate. “This was likely due to a serious infection raging in her body, which went untreated for several painful days,” her family’s complaint states. According to her family, the jail transported de la Cruz in a county vehicle to a hospital 13 miles away that day. She died there on April 22 due to septic shock and organ failure.
Gonzalez is suing Hidalgo County, seeking “all damages and remedies available to her as a wrongful death beneficiary and/or heir.” Attempts by Law&Crime to reach Hidalgo County for comment Thursday were unsuccessful.