$5.6 Million Settlement After 23-Year-Old Mother Died in Indiana Jail While Staff Ignored 20 Hours of Medical Distress

Ta'Neasha Chappell was 23 years old and the mother of a young daughter when she was arrested in Jackson County, Indiana in late May 2021 on charges related to a theft and a police chase. Her family was unable to post her $4,000 bond, so she remained in the county jail in Brownstown as her court date approached.

On the night of July 15, 2021, Chappell began vomiting blood, running a fever, and calling out for medical help. Audio recordings captured her pleading for assistance at least 20 times over the next several hours. Jail staff dismissed her complaints. The jail nurse offered Tylenol and sent her back to her cell. At some point she collapsed naked on the floor. Medical personnel waited approximately 40 minutes before entering the cell. An ambulance was not called until 3:15 p.m. on July 16 -- nearly 19 hours after her distress began. She was pronounced dead at Schneck Medical Center at 5:42 p.m. The county medical examiner listed the cause of death as probable toxicity from an unknown substance; the manner was undetermined. No criminal charges were filed against any jail employee.

Chappell's family retained Louisville attorney Sam Aguiar, who had previously represented the family of Breonna Taylor, along with co-counsel Lonita Baker and civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The legal team filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the Southern District of Indiana naming 13 jail workers and the sheriff as defendants, alleging systemic failure to provide constitutionally adequate medical care.

A WDRB News investigation had already brought the case to public attention, broadcasting the audio recordings of Chappell's ignored requests. Following years of litigation, Jackson County commissioners voted in October 2025 to approve a $5.6 million settlement. Probate court approval was expected within two months, with payment to Chappell's daughter due by December 2025. Jail nurse Ed Rutan, who provided the inadequate care on the night in question, had his nursing license revoked by the state.