Family seeks answers from Cameron County jail after Valley woman found unresponsive, later pronounced dead
Family members of a Valley woman who was pronounced dead after she was found unconscious at the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center are pressing to find out what caused her death.
Lidia Grover — a woman in her 50s — had been detained at the county jail as a result of criminal trespassing charge from the Harlingen Police Department. Grover’s bond had been set at $500.
“They have made requests to the jail — they’re trying to get information from the jail to figure out exactly what happened, but they are clueless at this point,” said Eddie Lucio, a Brownsville attorney representing the Grover family. “The jail has not provided them with any information regarding the circumstances surrounding their mom’s death.”
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Lucio said he hasn’t submitted any legal filings as they don’t know whether the county has done anything wrong, though he said he will be requesting that the county preserve all evidence that may relate to the case.
Grover’s death has since prompted an investigation by the Texas Rangers, which is also receiving assistance from Cameron County Sheriff’s Office.
Eugenio Cardenas, assistant chief for the Brownsville Fire Department, said they received a call in relation to an unconscious person from the jail at 6:45 a.m.
Cardenas said Grover was being treated by jail personnel.
A tweet from the Cameron County Sheriff’s office states Grover was transported to Valley Regional Center, where she was pronounced dead at 7:27 a.m.
Justice of the Peace for Cameron County Precinct 2 Place 1 Linda Salazar said she got a call from the hospital at 7:51 a.m. and ordered an autopsy in relation to the case.
“My understanding is that she had a heart attack, but I question the hospital medical history all the time,” Salazar said. “They did not have [any] medical history whatsoever.”
Lucio adds that Grover did not have any pre-existing conditions.
The state of Texas requires law enforcement agencies and jails alike to report custodial deaths to the Attorney General.
Those reports are available to the public, though Lucio has expressed his own reservations on the level of effort that will go into the report.