Inmate’s estate says he hoarded medicine in Charlotte jail, died from overdose
A 71-year-old man with “serious chronic medical conditions” died at the Mecklenburg County jail from a drug overdose after staff failed to check on him as the law requires, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court last week.
The lawsuit filed by Elijah Kelly’s estate says that he suffered a long list of ailments, and that he died from a quetiapine overdose in December 2023. Quetiapine is an anti-psychotic medication used to treat conditions like schizophrenia.
“Despite the known risk of quetiapine hoarding and abuse in correctional settings, the Sheriff’s office failed to monitor ingestion of quetiapine, failed to perform mouth checks, and failed to assess Mr. Kelly for hoarding behavior,” the lawsuit said.
Kelly might have been dying for hours before jail staff found him during their morning rounds, after another inmate got their attention, according to the lawsuit.
“It is the policy of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office not to comment on pending or ongoing litigation,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Sarah Mastouri said in an email.
Kelly’s estate also sued Mecklenburg County, the jail’s former healthcare provider — Wellpath, a physician and people who worked in the jail.
The lawsuit noted that there have been many other cases where jail staff failed to check on someone who later died.
In November 2020, after a teenager hanged himself, a detention officer retroactively filled out supervision logs, The Charlotte Observer reported. The teenager’s family settled with the sheriff’s office for $550,000, and with promises of policy changes.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.