Ta’Neasha Chappell Case: Jail Death, Lawsuit, and $5.6M Settlement

The Ta’Neasha Chappell case ended with Jackson County, Indiana, agreeing to pay $5.6 million to the daughter of a 23-year-old Louisville woman who died on July 16, 2021, after jail staff ignored roughly 20 pleas for medical help over nearly 19 hours. Chappell told corrections officers she was vomiting blood and needed a hospital. They treated her as if she were faking. By the time an ambulance was called, she was naked, incoherent, and lying on her cell floor. She was pronounced dead at Schneck Medical Center at 5:42 p.m. that day.¹

Who Ta’Neasha Chappell Was and Why She Was in Jail

Chappell was arrested on May 26, 2021, after a shoplifting incident at a Columbus, Indiana, outlet mall led to a multi-county police chase that ended in a crash on Interstate 65. She was charged on June 3 with escape, three counts of resisting law enforcement, theft, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, and possession of marijuana. Bail was set at $4,000, which her family could not pay, and a bond reduction was denied on July 8, 2021.² She had been at the Jackson County Jail for more than seven weeks when she died.

Chappell was the only Black woman in her unit. One inmate later admitted to using a racial slur against her roughly 50 times. Her sister told reporters that inmates had placed a noose on Chappell’s pillow, and that Chappell believed someone had put bleach in her drink.³

The 19 Hours Before Her Death

Starting the evening of July 15, 2021, Chappell began reporting to jail staff that she was feverish and vomiting blood. Between 8 p.m. that night and about 3:30 p.m. the next afternoon, she used the jail intercom at least 14 times and made more than 20 total requests for help. She asked to go to a hospital five times and reported vomiting blood eight times. Other inmates hit the intercom on her behalf at least four more times.¹

The recordings captured the responses. At 1:34 a.m. on July 16, an officer told her, “I don’t know what you want me to do unless you’re coughing up something crazy.” At 3:11 a.m., another said the nurse would see her in the morning.⁴

Jail nurse Ed Rutan visited her at about 8:45 a.m. He checked her vitals, gave her Tylenol, and told her a full exam would come in the afternoon. Records later showed Rutan had never performed the mandatory initial medical screening on Chappell at any point during her seven weeks in the jail.²

By late morning, another inmate reported that Chappell was naked and on the floor. An officer answered that Chappell needed to press the call button herself. At 12:17 p.m., she made her last recorded request: “Can you help me please? Can you hold my hand?” She grew incoherent, wobbled, fell, and struck her head on a bunk. When staff finally moved around 2:30 p.m., Rutan refused to enter the cell because she was unclothed, citing fear of accusations. She stayed on the floor another 40 minutes. Two female guards were sent in but did not help her get dressed.⁵ At 3:12 p.m., a female officer told her, “This is just making us think that you’re faking it. So if you’re not gonna get up and get dressed, we’ll leave you alone and you can sit here and suffer.”⁴

An ambulance was called roughly 24 hours after her first report. She was shackled with hand and ankle cuffs during transport. During the same window that Chappell was ignored, a white inmate who complained of chest pain was sent to the hospital.²

What Killed Her, and Why No One Was Charged

The Jackson County Coroner listed the cause of death as “probable toxicity of unknown substance” and classified the manner of death as undetermined. Toxicology found only minimal traces of marijuana.⁶ Schneck Medical Center records noted her symptoms were “consistent with poisoning from substances like Ethylene Glycol and Methanol,” components of products like antifreeze. On arrival, she was unresponsive, anemic, in cardiac arrest, and in metabolic acidosis, with yellowing of her eyes and chest and a large bruise on her head.⁷

The Indiana State Police produced a report of nearly 900 pages. Jackson County Prosecutor Jeffrey Chalfant reviewed it and concluded there was “no evidence of a crime.” He said no one had poisoned Chappell and that her blood showed no conclusive traces of antifreeze. He declined to present the matter to a grand jury, writing that “no crimes were committed by the Jackson County Jail” and that questions of reasonable care were “matters of civil law and not criminal law.”⁸ No criminal charges were filed against any jail employee. The FBI, asked whether it was pursuing a civil rights investigation, would “not confirm or deny.”⁶

The Federal Lawsuit and the $5.6 Million Settlement

On October 15, 2021, Chappell’s mother, Lavita McClain, filed a wrongful death suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana seeking $30 million. Attorneys Dan Canon and Sam Aguiar filed the 36-page complaint, naming Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer, Jail Commander Chris Everhart, and several jail workers. The suit alleged violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, gross negligence, and wrongful death, and it alleged the jail maintained a “culture” of limiting medical care and hospital transport to hold down costs.⁹

U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker denied qualified immunity to Officer Ryah Smith at summary judgment, finding she had violated Chappell’s Fourteenth Amendment rights by failing to respond reasonably to obvious medical distress. Judge Barker wrote that “no reasonable juror could conclude from the evidence of these encounters that Officer Smith acted reasonably in response to Ms. Chappell’s serious medical need,” and that Smith’s “relative inexperience and lack of formal training do not excuse her failures to contact her supervisor or the jail nurse to report Ms. Chappell’s deteriorating condition.” Officers Tammy Baxter and Wendy Boshears were dismissed for lack of direct involvement in the medical-care delays, though the court described Baxter’s remarks to Chappell as “callous.” Lieutenant David Ridlen was also dismissed; the court found his decision to order a medical watch was reasonable.¹⁰

By October 2025, Jackson County commissioners had agreed to pay $5.6 million, with the funds designated for Chappell’s daughter. The settlement was awaiting final probate approval, and the county was required to pay by December 2025.⁵ An earlier proposed package of $5.5 million included a $100,000 scholarship for Chappell’s daughter and $20,000 in trust and administration costs.¹¹

The Nurse Lost His License

The Indiana State Board of Nursing held an administrative hearing on December 14, 2023, on the license of Milton Edward Rutan, the jail nurse who had offered Chappell only Tylenol. Rutan did not appear, and the Board found him in default by unanimous vote. On March 4, 2024, the Board revoked his nursing license. It upheld six counts, including disregarding a patient’s dignity, abandonment or neglect, unsafe judgment, and professional incompetence. The order cited his failure to adequately evaluate or care for Chappell and also referenced evidence concerning another inmate under his care, Joshua McLemore.¹²

A Second Death at the Same Jail Weeks Later

Chappell’s death was not isolated. On August 10, 2021, less than a month later, 29-year-old Joshua McLemore died at the Jackson County Jail after 20 days in solitary confinement. McLemore, who had schizophrenia, lost close to 45 pounds during his detention and died of multiple organ failure caused by dehydration and malnutrition.¹³ Prosecutor Chalfant again declined to charge any individual, though he acknowledged that “McLemore most likely died due to a prolonged lack of attention by Jackson County Jail staff as a group.”¹⁴

McLemore’s family sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, naming Jackson County, Sheriff Meyer, Commander Everhart, and Rutan among others. In December 2023, the county agreed to $7.25 million, which the plaintiffs’ attorneys described as the largest settlement for a jail death in Indiana history. A separate suit against the jail’s private healthcare contractor, Advanced Correctional Healthcare, remained active after the county settled.¹⁴

Between the two cases, Jackson County has committed $12.85 million to resolve claims arising from two inmate deaths at the same facility within weeks of each other, involving many of the same defendants. Sheriff Rick Meyer, named as a defendant in both suits, remains in office.¹⁵

1
WDRB. Audio Reveals Slow, Painful Death for Louisville Mother in Custody of Southern Indiana Jail
2
Rolling Stone. Louisville Woman Ta’Neasha Chappell Mysterious Death Jail Investigation
3
WFYI. Attorney: Jackson County Jail Inmate Poisoned
4
WAVE 3. New Jail Recordings Confirm Ta’Neasha Chappell Told Officers She Was Vomiting Blood Hours Before Her Death
5
WDRB. Jackson County to Pay More Than $5M to Family of Louisville Mother Who Died in Jail
6
WAVE 3. New Surveillance Video at Jackson County Jail Shows Hours Before Ta’Neasha Chappell’s Death
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WAVE 3. Doctors Were Concerned Ta’Neasha Chappell Ingested Toxic Chemicals in Indiana Jail
8
WAVE 3. Family of Ta’Neasha Chappell Upset Prosecution Not Moving Forward in Death Investigation
9
Louisville Courier-Journal. Ta’Neasha Chappell Family Alleges Jail’s Neglect Led to Her Death
10
WDRB. Indiana Jail Workers Believed Louisville Woman Who Died in Custody Was Faking It, Records Show
11
The Republic. Family Seeks to Reject $5.5 Million Settlement in Jackson County Jail Inmate Death Case
12
WDRB. Indiana State Board of Nursing Order – Milton Edward Rutan
13
The Kansas City Star. Jackson County Jail Settlement for Joshua McLemore
14
The Republic. Jackson County Agrees to $7.25 Million Settlement in McLemore Case
15
Indiana State Police. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office