Left: William Zinselmeier and his family (Pedroli Law LLC). Right: The Jefferson County Jail in Missouri (Google Maps).
The family of a Missouri inmate who died in custody has filed a lawsuit, alleging that both corrections officers and medical staff neglected his worsening health condition in the critical period before his death.
William Zinselmeier, aged 58, passed away on January 7, 2023, while incarcerated at the Jefferson County Jail. His family has now initiated a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court. They are targeting the jail, the sheriff’s office, and the healthcare provider responsible for inmate care.
Zinselmeier had been held at the facility since March 18, 2022, according to the lawsuit. Upon admission, he informed jail personnel of his diabetes and hypertension, emphasizing the necessity of his medication. By January 1, 2023, his health had deteriorated to the point where he could neither leave his bed nor eat.
The lawsuit details that another inmate asked guards to provide Zinselmeier with his medication. Allegedly, a guard retorted that Zinselmeier could have his medication if he got up to retrieve it himself.
Approximately 10 hours before his death, Zinselmeier reportedly fell from his bed and became unresponsive. The legal complaint accuses guards of merely “milling in and out” of his cell without offering medical assistance or contacting emergency services like 911.
A fellow inmate requested the guards bring Zinselmeier his medicine and a guard allegedly responded that “if he wants his medicine he can get up and come get his medicine.”
Roughly 10 hours before his death, Zinselmeier fell out of his bed and became unresponsive, the family’s lawyers write. He lay on the floor as guards allegedly “milled in and out” and did nothing to help him either by giving him medical aid or calling 911.
Zinselmeier’s cellmate found him not breathing around 3:40 a.m. Jan. 7, 2023, and hit an emergency call button. Medical staff responded a few minutes later and pronounced him dead shortly after 4 a.m. An autopsy determined he died of “hypertensive cardiovascular disease” with diabetes as a significant contributing factor. His death was “foreseeable and preventable,” his lawyer Marj J. Pedroli of Pedroli Law LLC claims.
The family is suing for wrongful death as well as violations to his Eighth and 14th Amendment rights. His daughter, Kristen Zinselmeier, told local Fox affiliate KTVI that she is advocating for her father.
“My dad told me, ‘If I pass away in here, just make sure that it doesn’t happen to nobody else,’” she said. “That’s what I’m doing.”
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment. VitalCore, the medical agency in charge of inmate healthcare at the jail, declined comment to KTVI.
