The family of a 16-year-old girl who died at a Georgia youth detention center in 2022 has filed a lawsuit, claiming that she was denied necessary medical care that could have saved her life.
Lawsuit Details
Melanie Hogan Sluder and Ricky Shawn Curtis filed a federal complaint on Tuesday in the Northern District of Georgia regarding their daughter’s death. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on the tragic incident and the subsequent legal action.
Circumstances of Alexis Sluder’s Death
Alexis Sluder was taken to the Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center in Dalton on August 26, 2022, following her arrest on drug possession and theft charges. While at the facility, she suffered a medical emergency due to drugs taken earlier in the day. Despite her condition, she was not taken to a hospital and died approximately seven hours after being processed at the center.
Allegations in the Lawsuit
The lawsuit claims that the defendants’ actions led to Alexis experiencing significant pain and suffering before her death. It states, “As a result of the defendants’ actions, Alexis Sluder experienced pain and suffering, including but not limited to a very long and painful death in which she convulsed, overheated, breathed heavily, writhed in pain and begged for help.”
Impact on the Family
In a statement, Sluder’s mother expressed her grief and the impact of the loss: “I didn’t get to watch her pick out her first car, go to the prom or graduate this past year with her friends. Things she had been looking forward to. I am lost without her, and not a minute goes by that I don’t think about her and what she would be doing.”
