Woman Dead After Hunger Strike At Lake County Jail
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) -- Officials say they are still trying to find any family of a woman who died recently after going on a jail hunger strike in the northern suburbs.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports, Lyvita Gomes, 52, died this past Tuesday at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. A strange set of circumstances led to a her going on a hunger strike more than a month ago, after being arrested by Lake County Sheriff's Police for missing a court date, the Daily Herald reported.
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The newspaper says Gomes, who most recently lived in a residential hotel in Vernon Hills, had first been arrested in October for skipping jury duty. Afterward, she was in the hands of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, being a native of India.
But for some reason, she was freed until her arrest last month, the Daily Herald reported.
Lake County Jail officials transferred Gomes to the hospital a day before she was to appear in court, to determine whether she was mentally fit to stand trial, the Daily Herald reported.
Gomes died a couple of days later, of dehydration and malnutrition. Officials have not been able to locate any family members, the Daily Herald reported.
