EUCLID, Ohio — The family of a man who collapsed inside the Cuyahoga County jail and later died is demanding answers from the county about his death.
The sheriff’s department said 27-year-old Nathan Kinney was “engaging in recreational activities” when he collapsed inside the jail on March 6.
Kinney, a father of two who family members said had no previous health issues, was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
“How?” asked Kinney’s cousin Ladawna Hill. “He's energetic. He plays sports. He played basketball on the streets and he runs, so how is he collapsing after two months of being in jail?”
Hill said none of it made sense to her family.
But she said the family’s request for medical records and jail video of what happened that day have gone unfulfilled nearly two weeks after his death.
Hill said she couldn’t help but wonder about the jail’s response to her brother’s medical emergency after News 5 Investigators and The Marshall Project-Cleveland exposed concerns about how the jail responded to life-threatening emergencies in the past.
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“What's their definition of immediately responding?” said Hill. “Because I need to see to see this tape. How long did he wait?”
Court records show Kinney was arrested in late December and was awaiting trial on felonious assault, weapons and other charges.
His family said he was ready to fight to clear his name.
Instead, now they await a determination from the medical examiner’s office on Kinney’s cause of death.
“We love him,” said Hill. “He has children. We want to know what happened.”
His family has started an online petition calling for the release of all records and reports related to Kinney’s death, as well as increased jail oversight.
Hill hopes it leads to greater transparency and the truth of what happened to a cousin her mother raised from the time he was a toddler.
“They want to leave you in the dark,” said Hill. “That feels pretty... I can't explain how that feels.”
In a statement, a county spokesperson said she could not comment on the specifics of Kinney’s case, citing legal and privacy matters, but added, “Our top priority is the health and safety of every individual in our custody. We take any loss of life seriously and remain committed to maintaining high standards of care within the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center.”
