HOUSTON – The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says Monica Lee Love was pronounced dead at 9:01 p.m. at Saint Joseph Hospital.
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But five women in jail with Monica – who have given their names and SPN numbers – say she died at the jail with no one performing CPR.
Family left with questions
The backstory:
“My mother is a really open, giving person,” said Monica’s daughter, Latavia Love.
Monica Lee Love is a mother of seven. She has a nonviolent criminal history involving theft.
She had been in the Harris County Jail for 24 days because she had no bond set due to a warrant out of Brazoria County.
What they’re saying:
This past Saturday, her daughters say they were getting calls at around 7:30 from five other inmates who were concerned about Monica.
Latavia started recording the calls. The inmates willfully gave their names and SPN numbers (their jail IDs) and said they were angry over what they had witnessed.
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They told the daughters it took 20 to 25 minutes before medical staff showed up to help and Monica was already dead.
They say no one performed CPR, and since she had urine on her, they didn’t want to pick her up and place her on a stretcher.
Her daughters say Monica was taken to the hospital last Tuesday due to heart conditions. She apparently had a pacemaker.
Monica returned to jail just one day before her death.
“It’s a good thing we have those inmates to speak for her because all we would have had is a call saying she was dead,” said Latavia.
Ongoing investigation
What’s next:
In a statement, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and Texas Rangers are investigating in accordance with state law.
The sheriff’s office internal affairs division is also investigating to see if all policies and procedures were followed.
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Monica’s cause of death is pending an autopsy.