TX - Sandra Bland, 28, found dead in jail cell, Waller County, 13 July 2015 #1

[cady]

I have never heard of Keppra. Is this common knowledge that someone would have for some reason?

NO, I don't think so. I looked it up after I saw it in the med booking docs. The poster who responded with the price may be familiar with the drug. Dunno. I just know that there are meds which I should take, that I cannot afford having no prescription insurance. JMO

 

[EllieBee]

She wasn't ordered out of her car for failing to use her turn signal.
She wasn't arrested for failing to use her turn signal.
Per her arresting report and Booking report she was arrested for Assult on a Public Servant.

She died per the M.E. >The cause of Sandra Bland's death was hanging; the manner of death was suicide, a prosecutor told reporters, citing preliminary autopsy results. http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/23/us/sandra-bland-arrest-death-

We must not have seen the same video.

The one I have watched several times shows clearly that she never got out of the car, never touched the officer before he dragged her out.

If not the failure to signal, and not assualt, exactly why WAS she ordered and dragged out of the vehicle and out of camera view?

I am aware what her official arrest report says, but, like much of this case, it is a lie. So many lies and contradictions.

The arresting officer clearly has said that SB was under arrest as soon as he pulled her over. (He somehow neglected to inform SB of that, though).
So if SB was already under arrest while still in her vehicle, it is a flat out lie that the reason for her arrest was assault of a police officer. (Also I call BS on any later assault)

The documents might say that reason for her arrest was assaulting an officer, but the ARRESTING officer has refuted that.

I WOULD like to know from the officer WHAT she was under arrest for at the time he pulled her over.

 

[jslk]

I sometimes get hung up on the small details in these cases - bear with me! Where is the second mugshot? The side-on/profile picture? I remember seeing Buzzfeed asked for one and was sent a ridiculous dark, low res image. Any news? Has anyone worked to improve the image? At this point I'm not sure they're hiding anything but then why not release the pic?!

Also - do we know for a fact whether Sandra was tasered while she was out of the view of the dashcam?

 

[machiado]

The autopsy report and custodial death report documents can be seen here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/sandra-bland-autopsy-custodial-death-report

There are numerous interesting things to discuss...

I wonder if there was sexual activity in her solitary jail cell. There are a couple of things in these reports to make that a question that needs an answer. The report indicates there was no sign of injury at the genitalia or anus, but a sexual assault evidence collection kit was obtained. Perhaps that is routine....

 

[EllieBee]

The autopsy report and custodial death report documents can be seen here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/sandra-bland-autopsy-custodial-death-report

There are numerous interesting things to discuss...

Like no petechiae?

Off to continue reading.....

 

[Dénouement]

I sometimes get hung up on the small details in these cases - bear with me! Where is the second mugshot? The side-on/profile picture? I remember seeing Buzzfeed asked for one and was sent a ridiculous dark, low res image. Any news? Has anyone worked to improve the image? At this point I'm not sure they're hiding anything but then why not release the pic?!

Also - do we know for a fact whether Sandra was tasered while she was out of the view of the dashcam?

Re side That is the only one produced to date. BF asked for a clearer photo and was given only the forward facing photo

 

[machiado]

The autopsy report and custodial death report documents can be seen here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/sandra-bland-autopsy-custodial-death-report

There are numerous interesting things to discuss...

I wonder if there was sexual activity in her solitary jail cell. There are a couple of things in these reports to make that a question that needs an answer. The report indicates there was no sign of injury at the genitalia or anus, but a sexual assault evidence collection kit was obtained. Perhaps that is routine....

"pasty white discharge at the vaginal introitus"

 

[bwt42]

We must not have seen the same video.

The one I have watched several times shows clearly that she never got out of the car, never touched the officer before he dragged her out.

If not the failure to signal, and not assualt, exactly why WAS she ordered and dragged out of the vehicle and out of camera view?

I am aware what her official arrest report says, but, like much of this case, it is a lie. So many lies and contradictions.

The arresting officer clearly has said that SB was under arrest as soon as he pulled her over. (He somehow neglected to inform SB of that, though).
So if SB was already under arrest while still in her vehicle, it is a flat out lie that the reason for her arrest was assault of a police officer. (Also I call BS on any later assault)

The documents might say that reason for her arrest was assaulting an officer, but the ARRESTING officer has refuted that.

I WOULD like to know from the officer WHAT she was under arrest for at the time he pulled her over.

I think the arresting officer stopped her for failing to signal. He may or may not have known whether he was going to give her a citation. After the escalation caused by him or her or both, her refusal to get out resulted in a scuffle & the charge of assaulting a police officer.

 

[EllieBee]

And this is rather odd considering the autopsy report states a definite neck furrow....

I cannot copy and paste perhaps because they are academic papers, but Google "post mortem appearances in hanging".

Apparently, the absence of petechiae is unusual, as is the presence of a noticeable neck furrow.

Medical consensus seems to indicate that the longer the deceased in hanging, the deeper the furrow. Often, when the body is discovered quickly, there is little or no ligature furrowing. SB was allegedly not left alone all that long.

And, the fact that there was no fracture of hyoid bone is suspicious.

I gotta say I wasn't all that suspicious about SB's death, but after reading the autopsy report, I am of the opinion that either her "hanging" occured post mortem, or that she not being checked on at all and was hanging in her cell for much longer than reported.

Again, this is just my interpretation after reading 4 separate scholarly articles on hanging deaths. I got no doctorly trainin'.

 

[EllieBee]

I think the arresting officer stopped her for failing to signal. He may or may not have known whether he was going to give her a citation. After the escalation caused by him or her or both, her refusal to get out resulted in a scuffle & the charge of assaulting a police officer.

Then the officer lied.

He said that SB was under arrest when he pulled her over.

 

[machiado]

The autopsy report and custodial death report documents can be seen here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/sandra-bland-autopsy-custodial-death-report

In the custodial death report, on p. 3 and 4 is a description of "summary of how the death occurred" that is very detailed and it will be interesting to see if it is all accurate. It disturbs me that there were only male intake officers, who removed her own clothing and put her into jail clothing, then another male officer moved her to cell 95, a female aggravated tank that had no other inmates in the cell at the time.

 

[EllieBee]

"pasty white discharge at the vaginal introitus"

That could be indicative of a yeast infection or even just normal cervical mucous changes during a woman's cycle.

But I agree that there is SOOO much eyebrow-raising info in that report......

 

[LonghornSpeakEasy]

C

And this is rather odd considering the autopsy report states a definite neck furrow....

I cannot copy and paste perhaps because they are academic papers, but Google "post mortem appearances in hanging".

Apparently, the absence of petechiae is unusual, as is the presence of a noticeable neck furrow.

Medical consensus seems to indicate that the longer the deceased in hanging, the deeper the furrow. Often, when the body is discovered quickly, there is little or no ligature furrowing. SB was allegedly not left alone all that long.

And, the fact that there was no fracture of hyoid bone is suspicious.

I gotta say I wasn't all that suspicious about SB's death, but after reading the autopsy report, I am of the opinion that either her "hanging" occured post mortem, or that she not being checked on at all and was hanging in her cell for much longer than reported.

Again, this is just my interpretation after reading 4 separate scholarly articles on hanging deaths. I got no doctorly trainin'.

I wonder if the ligature furrowing is due to the use of the plastic bag. When I try to carry too many full heavy plastic grocery bags in one hand, they will cut into my hand. It becomes painful and leaves a deep red mark. A wide rope or belt would not leave the same type of mark. IMO

I also do not think it would be unusual that the hyoid bone was not fractured. I would need to look at the autopsy photos again but from my memory of the ligature mark, it was not in the correct location in which to fracture the hyoid. I'll do a little more research on that. The lack of petechia is more interesting but would like to look for information relating its presence as a correlation to length of time the event occurred and positioning.

 

[cady]

That could be indicative of a yeast infection or even just normal cervical mucous changes during a woman's cycle.

But I agree that there is SOOO much eyebrow-raising info in that report......

Well geeze, can they identify the substance? Getting madder........JMO

 

[Tawny]

Just marking where I've read to. Don't mind me.

 

[bwt42]

In the custodial death report, on p. 3 and 4 is a description of "summary of how the death occurred" that is very detailed and it will be interesting to see if it is all accurate. It disturbs me that there were only male intake officers, who removed her own clothing and put her into jail clothing, then another male officer moved her to cell 95, a female aggravated tank that had no other inmates in the cell at the time.

I thought the report said that the female officer that transported her did those functions.

 

[cady]

This whole story is extremely disturbing. I need to break from it for awhile. Keep on sleuthing! JMO

 

[LonghornSpeakEasy]

This 2013 study found that the hyoid bone was UNfractured in 98.4% of hanging cases. In fact, it says that if the hyoid bone IS fractured that more investigation should be done to rule out manual strangulation.

http://medind.nic.in/jal/t13/i3/jalt13i3p239.pdf

ETA: It does say that other authors have reported incidences from rare to 67%. The article shows a table with incidence based on gender and age.

 

[EllieBee]

C

I wonder if the ligature furrowing is due to the use of the plastic bag. When I try to carry too many full heavy plastic grocery bags in one hand, they will cut into my hand. It becomes painful and leaves a deep red mark. A wide rope or belt would not leave the same type of mark. IMO

I also do not think it would be unusual that the hyoid bone was not fractured. I would need to look at the autopsy photos again but from my memory of the ligature mark, it was not in the correct location in which to fracture the hyoid. I'll do a little more research on that. The lack of petechia is more interesting but would like to look for information relating its presence as a correlation to length of time the event occurred and positioning.

Thanks for your input. Obviously, scholarly articles are not meant for folks like me, so I was trying to glean what I could to determine what was odd and what was not.

As I said, SB's death was not really suspicious to me at all prior to reading that autopsy report. Perhaps it really is as it seems.

Although, the rest of this case is a cluster cluck.

 

[bluesneakers]

So on that medical intake form they specifically ask the question about any cuts on arms etc..
And the answer was NO

What's going here?

Just more negligence.