Feb. 8—ANDERSON — The family of a woman who died in the Madison County jail in 2022 has filed a federal lawsuit seeking damages.

The suit was filed by Indianapolis attorney James Porter on behalf of Deborah Harting as the personal representative of Stacey Cox, 43.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff John Beeman, several correctional officers and the medical care provider Quality Correctional Care.

Jeff Graham, Madison County attorney, said Wednesday the county’s insurance company will hire an attorney to represent the county.

According to the court document, Cox was stopped by officers Sept. 21, 2022, about 11:45 p.m. because the bicycle she was riding did not have lights.

Cox was booked in the jail Sept. 22 for possession of a syringe and resisting law enforcement, and she was found to have heroin in her possession at the time of the arrest, the document states.

Reportedly, Cox told correctional officers that she addicted to drugs and had a blood disease. The document states no medical examination was done and Cox was placed in the detox cell with other inmates.

According to the lawsuit, Cox was suffering from withdrawal and vomited numerous times and requested medical attention.

After being incarcerated for almost 21 hours, Cox was seen by a nurse and given Tylenol and Zofran and a mat to sleep on the floor.

Reportedly, she asked for the nurse to return at 5:55 a.m. on Sept. 23, but the nurse didn’t return, according to the lawsuit.

Other inmates alerted jail staff at 6:40 a.m. that Cox had stopped moving. She was pronounced dead at 9:06 a.m.

“The actions and inactions of defendants were deliberately indifferent to the reasonable medical needs of Stacey Cox,” the lawsuit reads. “The actions and inactions of the defendants constitute negligence under Indiana law.”

The Indiana State Police investigated Cox’s death at the request of former Sheriff Scott Mellinger.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.