LYNNWOOD, Wash. — The City of Lynnwood settled a lawsuit for $1.75 million with the family of a woman who died in jail custody two years ago.
Tirhas Tesfatsion, 47, was found dead inside her cell on July 13, 2021. It was later determined that she had died by suicide.
An investigation into her death found that corrections officers were not performing required hourly safety checks. A report said there were "significant" lapses between checks on the day that Tesfatsion died and the day before when she was taken into custody.
The report noted five separate instances where day-shift custody officers went beyond the 60-minute requirement for inmate safety checks, and five separate events involving Tesfatsion that were not logged into the officer activity log.
Surveillance video showed three available custody officers who were on shift at the time were "focused primarily on their work stations and/or cellphones" for the two to three-hour period between when lunch was served and when Tesfatsion's body was discovered.
The video also showed two of the officers looking at "video content" that "(did) not appear to be work-related" during that same time period.
In a release, the city acknowledged that "the lack of in-custody care and supervisory oversight were not in alignment with our values and lessened the public's trust in our organization."
The report released following Tesfatsion's death also noted that staff "expressed a lack of training with respect to suicide awareness."
Since Tesfatsion's death, the city said they have committed to improved training around suicide awareness, mental health, and addiction and are striving to provide a more therapeutic environment for people entering the facility. The city has also since redesigned a portion of a proposed new facility to create a Community Recovery Center, which is scheduled to open next year. The facility will be a crisis stabilization center and provide mental health resources.
Two of the officers who were on shift at the time Tesfatsion died received unpaid suspensions. The third officer resigned from his position after her death.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit Vibrant Emotional Health’s Safe Space for digital resources.