Rally demands answers for Louisville woman who died in custody of southern Indiana jail

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Four months have passed since a Louisville woman mysteriously died in the Jackson County Jail.

On Tuesday, family, friends and others rallied in southern Indiana to demand answers. About 100 people gathered at the Jackson County Courthouse alongside the family of Ta'Neasha Chappell. Some at the rally carried signs that read "Ta'Neasha deserves justice," "We want answers" and "Jackson County, do your job."

Chappell died July 16 at the hospital after she was in custody at the Jackson County Jail in Indiana. Witnesses said she was sick and asked for medical help.

The 23-year-old Louisville woman was arrested in May related to a shoplifting case. Doctors said Chappell's lab results pointed to a possible poisoning, but the toxicology report from her autopsy only showed a small amount of marijuana.

Family attorney Sam Aguiar said all they want is answers.

"This fight right here is for every mother, every father, every sister, every brother that has to wake up every single day with questions about what happened to why they had to bury their child, bury their sibling," Aguiar said. "And we expect law enforcement to do their job."

People chanting “no justice, no peace” and “black lives matter” as a bus of people show up to the Jackson County Courthouse in Indiana. The rally is for 23-year-old Ta’Neasha Chappell who died in police custody. Witnesses said she was sick and asked for medical help @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/Oz9V0Tz8Fl
— Christie Battista WDRB (@CBattistaTV) November 16, 2021

Chappell's mother filed the suit in October against several members of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, accusing the jail of, "systemic problems...regarding failures to provide proper and timely medical attention."

According to the lawsuit, "Ta'Neasha repeatedly expressed to jail workers that she was vomiting blood. Those concerns were repeatedly ignored."

The suit also says, "The jail nurse accused Ta'Neasha of faking her illness", "the only thing provided was a Tylenol" and that "neither a medical doctor nor an ambulance responded for more than 23 hours."

Indiana State Police took over the investigation into Chappell's death and have not released any information. The jail won't release video.

Aguiar said in October that the filing of the lawsuit allows for progress toward critical discovery like video surveillance footage and jail records, which authorities haven't shared with her family.

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