Holly Barlow-Austin
- Age: 46
- Name of Jail: Bi-State Justice Center
- Location: Texarkana, TX
- Cause of Death*: Fungemia/sepsis due to fungus, cryptococcal meningitis, HIV/AIDS and accelerated hypertension
- Incarceration Type: Pre-trial detention
- Private Company: LaSalle Corrections
- Incarceration Duration: About two months
- Date of Death: June 17, 2019
Holly Barlow-Austin, 46, lived in Texarkana, TX. On April 5, 2019, police arrested her at her home for a probation violation and booked her into the Bi-State Justice Center. Her husband brought her prescription medications, including for HIV, bipolar disorder and depression, but she didn’t receive them for days, according to a lawsuit filed by her family. The lawsuit alleged that “depriving her of these prescription medications put her at substantial risk of HIV/AIDS-related complications, including deadly fungal infections.”
On visits, Barlow-Austin’s husband saw that her condition was worsening, but he was rebuffed when he tried to raise concerns to staff, according to the lawsuit. During one ten-day stretch, Barlow-Austin experienced symptoms including blurred vision, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, numbness in her limbs and difficulty standing and walking, but was neither taken to the ER nor medically evaluated, the suit claims.
Dehydrated, malnourished and in pain, Barlow-Austin gradually went blind and could not find cups of water left in her cell. She received little help, water or medical care from jail staff, according to the lawsuit, which alleged that she became “so thin and emaciated that her bones were jutting out.”
“Her last 48 hours were tantamount to torture,” the lawsuit said. “The callousness with which she was treated amounted to abject cruelty that shocks the conscience.” Barlow-Austin died on June 17, about two months into her incarceration.
The Bowie County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on Barlow-Austin's case, citing pending litigation. LaSalle Corrections did not respond to the Lab’s request for comment. An official answer to the lawsuit, filed jointly by the county and LaSalle Corrections, is available here.
A full account of the lawsuit—including the estate’s allegations against LaSalle Corrections, the county and others, as well as each party’s response—is available through PACER (Case 5:20-cv-00146, Eastern District of Texas).