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Tarrant County medical examiner releases cause of death for woman who died in jail custody

A row of cells at the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
A row of cells at the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office has released the cause of death of Chasity Bonner, who died in the county jail May 27.

According to autopsy results, Bonner died from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is a build up of cholesterol in the arteries that causes obstructed blood flow.

Her family told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that they tried to get the results for months. Now that the results are released, they're skeptical of the ruling and say Bonner never had heart problems, according to the Star-Telegram.

Bonner was booked into jail May 16, according to county records.

At the time of her death, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Bonner refused medical treatment that morning. Then, just before 11 a.m., jail staff responded to a medical emergency where Bonner "became unresponsive," according to Sheriff Bill Waybourn's office.

She was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital.

Bonner is the sixth person who has died in the Tarrant County Jail this year and one of at least 65 people who have died in the jail since Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office in 2017.

Additional reporting by Miranda Suarez.

Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.

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Megan Cardona is a daily news reporter for KERA News. She was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and previously worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.