Pregnant woman’s twins die after 1 day of neglect in Florida jail, lawsuit says
.jpg "A Florida woman miscarried twins after spending one day in jail, according to a lawsuit.")
A Florida woman is suing after she said she miscarried twins due to neglect she experienced when she spent one day in jail.
The federal lawsuit, filed April 16 in district court, lists the Marion County Jail and several individuals as defendants.
McClatchy News reached out to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
On March 13, the woman was accused of leaving her child alone in a vehicle while she went inside a courthouse for “a short window” of time, the lawsuit said.
The woman was arrested and charged with felony child neglect and taken to the Marion County Jail, according to the civil complaint.
While being processed, the woman told authorities she was pregnant with twins and had a history of high-risk pregnancies, the lawsuit said. Still, she wasn’t given a medical evaluation even though she reported cramping, the complaint said.
The woman was then assigned to sleep on a “top-tier bunk,” the lawsuit said. She was also denied the proper diet to accommodate her religious beliefs and “denied any food for over 24 hours,” according to the complaint.
While in jail, she made multiple complaints to staff about stomach pain, cramping and dizziness, but was ignored, the lawsuit said.
When the woman was released the next day, she was “weak, bleeding and visibly ill,” the complaint said.
The woman went to a hospital and was told she was having a miscarriage, the lawsuit said. The doctor’s report said the miscarriage was “likely precipitated by acute physical and emotional stress, nutritional deprivation, and lack of prenatal care during recent incarceration,” according to the complaint.
The woman had no pregnancy complications before being arrested, the lawsuit said.
Weeks after her release, the woman’s child neglect charge was dropped, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is asking for $1.4 million and for the jail to enforce written policies ensuring timely medical screening and treatment for pregnant inmates, guarantee access to religious diets, provide training to staff and maintain accessible grievance and legal assistance mechanisms for all inmates.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Pregnant woman’s twins die after 1 day of neglect in Florida jail, lawsuit says."
