Mentally ill Alabama man jailed in 'the freezer' dies of hypothermia, ruled a homicide

An inmate in Alabama who had "serious mental and psychiatric needs" was reportedly put in a concrete tank known as "the freezer" before he died from hypothermia. The death has now been ruled a homicide, according to USA Today.

Anthony Don Mitchell passed away on January 26, 2023, while in custody at the Walker County Sheriff's Department after spending two weeks "incarcerated under horrendous conditions" at the Walker County Jail. The institution is located in Jasper, about 40 miles north of Birmingham.

Mitchell's mother, Margaret Mitchell, claimed in a 53-page lawsuit that officers at the jail deliberately exposed her 33-year-old son to freezing temperatures for more than 24 hours straight. She also claimed that the officers withheld medication, medical treatment, water, and even the toilet from her son.

NBC News reported that Mitchell's death certificate indicated that he had died from hypothermia and "sepsis resulting from infections injuries obtained during incarceration and medical neglect." Walker County Coroner Joey Vick announced on Monday that Mitchell's death has been ruled a homicide.

Jon Goldfarb, the attorney representing Mitchell's family in the suit, said, "Tony's death was wrongful, the result of horrific, malicious abuse and mountains of deliberate indifference."

The suit indicates that the defendants include Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith, jail administrator Justin White, a nurse practitioner, an investigator, and more than a dozen jail corrections officers.

Randy McNeill, who is representing the sheriff and the corrections officers in the case, said he could not comment on the case "because of the ongoing investigation," per USA Today.

The lawsuit also includes that a doctor wrote in emergency room notes that Mitchell was "unresponsive apneic and pulseless and cold to the touch" when he arrived for treatment.

“I am not sure what circumstances the patient was held in incarceration but it is difficult to understand a rectal temperature of 72° F 22° centigrade while someone is incarcerated in jail. The cause of his hypothermia is not clear. It is possible he had a underlying medical condition resulting in hypothermia. I do not know if he could have been exposed to a cold environment,” the doctor wrote, per the lawsuit.

The Associated Press reported that the state prison system is already in hot water, as it faces a lawsuit after a mentally ill man "baked to death" in an overheated prison cell.

Thomas Lee Rutledge reportedly died of hyperthermia on December 7, 2020, while staying at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. Rutledge had an internal temperature of 109 degrees when he was eventually found to be unresponsive in the mental health cell.

The defendants in the case are prison staff, wardens, and contractors as defendants.

No criminal charges have been filed against defendants in Mitchell's death, according to Goldfarb.

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