The family of a woman who died three days after being arrested and held at the Marin County Jail in San Rafael filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Marin County and the Central Marin Police Authority, alleging staff ignored her worsening medical condition and released her while critically ill.
Tammy Manzanilla was arrested Wednesday, April 8, by Central Marin Police Authority officers and detained at the county jail. She died Saturday, April 11, after being transported to a hospital, according to a Bay City News report published Wednesday, July 29.
Her sister, Amy Barry, said Manzanilla spent about 18 hours in a sobering cell without medical attention before she was taken to the hospital, where she died shortly after arrival. Barry said her sister had struggled with addiction and had been living unhoused on the streets of Marin County for more than 15 years.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleges jail staff failed to notify a nurse about Manzanilla's deteriorating condition. Attorney Christian Contreras, who represents the family, announced the suit Wednesday. Contreras has previously secured multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements in jail death cases, including an $8.5 million settlement and a $3.3 million jury verdict, according to his firm's website.
"Attention desperately needs to be drawn to this issue, as more and more families are losing their loved ones in custody due to overdoses, suicide and/or medical neglect," Barry said in an email to Bay City News.
Marin County spokesperson Laine Hendricks issued a written statement Tuesday, July 28, offering condolences but declining to comment further, citing confidential information and anticipated litigation. The Marin County Sheriff's Office, which operates the jail, also declined to comment.
The Central Marin Police Authority, a joint agency serving Corte Madera, Larkspur, and Ross, has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
A separate in-custody death at the Marin County Jail was reported June 15, though details of that case remain limited.
The family and Contreras were scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday morning at the Marin County Civic Center. No cause of death has been released.
