In-custody death being investigated at Tarrant County Jail

A North Texas mother is in search of answers after her son died while in the custody of Tarrant County.

Cassandra Johnson said the Tarrant County medical examiner contacted her on Wednesday to notify her that her 23-year-old son, Trelynn Wormley, was pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the county’s Green Bay Detention Facility.

Wormley had been in custody since January and his mother said  he had a history of mental illness. 

Johnson is frustrated by the lack of information and how the notification was handled. 

"I have not been notified by Tarrant County Jail that my son is gone. I was notified by the medical examiner. Tarrant County medical examiner gave me a call while I was at work," she said.

In response to our inquiries, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office officials said other inmates alerted detention officers that Wormley was unresponsive.

They said he received medical attention within seconds, but died a short time later at John Peter Smith Hospital. 

The sheriff’s department said an investigation to determine what happened to Wormley is underway.