Another family hunts for answers after loved one's death in Tarrant County Jail

Months after 35-year-old Chasity Bonner died behind bars at the Tarrant County Jail, her family is still trying to see her records.

LaMonica Bratton placed a bright red urn onto the podium as she addressed commissioners on Tuesday.

“This is Chasity Bonner. That should not be here. But because you are failing at your job, this is where my baby is," Bratton said.

She told NBC 5 that it was her first time speaking to commissioners in open court since Bonner's death.

She and her other daughter, Octavia Reed, told commissioners they are furious that they haven't been able to gain clarity on how or why their loved one died.

In a press release shortly after her death, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said around 9:15 a.m. on May 27, Bonner was "examined in the medical area, refused any further medical treatment and requested to go back to her cell."

TCSO said just before 11:00 a.m., "staff responded to a medical emergency when the inmate became unresponsive."

They said John Peter Smith Hospital medical staff administered Narcan to Bonner twice. Narcan is a life-saving drug used for opioid overdoses.

TCSO said MedStar then took Bonner to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Since then, the Medical Examiner has listed Bonner's manner of death as "natural," and her cause of death "atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease," a type of heart disease.

"So, if that's being determined, why is the full autopsy report still not being released?" asked Octavia Reed, Bonner's sister, during public comment on Tuesday.

Bratton has a lot of questions-- she wants to see all her daughter's records but hasn't been able to.

"The fact that we are being redirected every time that we ask for information concerning autopsy, medical reports—it doesn’t make sense," she said.

She wants to know about the first 12 hours of her daughter's passing and wants to see the paperwork where Bonner refused additional medical attention.

The family said the Tarrant County District Attorney's office asked them to withdraw their request for Bonner's autopsy report.

In an email to NBC 5, the DA's office said, "Our response to Chasity Bonner’s family was based on the fact that there was a pending investigation with the Sheriff’s Office and we did not want to compromise the investigation."

Robbie Hoy, a spokesperson for TCSO, said although they have completed their portion of the investigation into Bonner's death, the case is now in the hands of Fort Worth Police for review.

According to TCSO, all in-custody deaths are reviewed and investigated by Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office jail staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations Division, an outside law enforcement agency, JPS Medical Staff, The Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

They did not give a timeline on how long an investigation typically takes to complete.

"How would they feel if this was their daughter?" Bratton asked.

Until then, Bratton clutches her grief-- her daughter's urn-- in her search for answers.

"My great-grandchildren will never know their grandma. They'll only hear of her, and that we plan to instill in all of them," she said.

TCSO said Bonner had been in custody since May 16 and was being held on a warrant out of the North Richland Hills Police Department for a charge of Theft of Property between $2,500 and $30,000 and a parole violation.