Hood County Jail nurse indicted in inmate’s death, family seeks answers

HOOD COUNTY, Texas - The daughter of a Hood County jail inmate who died in custody is demanding answers after a jail nurse was indicted in his death, a rare development in Texas, according to jail watchdogs.

Inmate dies at the county jail.

What we know:

Michael Turner Jr. died in April while being held at the Hood County Jail. 

The circumstances surrounding his death have not been publicly released, but recently obtained court records show a jail nurse has been charged in connection with the case.

A Daughter's Plea for Answers

Local perspective:

For most of her life, Turner’s daughter, Sara Youngblood, barely knew her father. That began to change earlier this year, she said, when Turner moved in with her family in Granbury.

"I had been dying to meet him literally my whole life," Youngblood said. "He met my kids, those were his grandbabies."

Youngblood said Turner’s move to Texas violated parole conditions in another state. She said she urged him to turn himself in to the Hood County Sheriff’s Office, giving him an ultimatum.

"If he didn’t go turn himself in and get this taken care of, then he couldn’t stay with us," she said. "We were trying to set a good example for our children."

That was the last time she saw him.

"I wonder why God put him in my life, and then he was ripped out so fast," she said.

The Legal Allegations

Dig deeper:

The Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers investigated Turner’s death. In November, a Hood County grand jury indicted Rachel Sanders Miller, a nurse at the jail, accusing her of "failing to take reasonable action to obtain medical care" after being informed that Turner was in medical distress.

Youngblood said she struggles with the idea that help may not have come when her father needed it most.

"He needed help and nobody helped him," she said.

A Rare Criminal Charge

What they're saying:

Advocates say the indictment is highly unusual. Krish Gundu, executive director of the Texas Jail Project, said it is rare for anyone working in a Texas jail, including medical staff, to face criminal charges related to an inmate’s death.

"We had, what, 136 custody deaths reported this year," Gundu said. "And I don’t think we’ve seen that happen in any of those deaths so far."

Turner’s family said they still have no official explanation for what happened.

"I know that inmates are looked at like a lesser part of the human race," Youngblood said. "But he was a really, really good person."

What's next:

The Texas Department of Public Safety has not responded to requests for comment.

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