Lawsuit: Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center and Children’s Mercy Hospital, Missouri-Child Death

Kathia Casseus, 16, was a special needs child with an IQ of 68 who was taken into custody of the detention center in August 2011. She had taken her mother’s car, crashed it into a carport and caused property damage.

“Last November, she was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital and for “reasons still unknown to her mother,” according to the lawsuit, was prescribed a birth control patch.

The Ortho Evra patch is known to carry “dangerous side effects,” including increased risks of developing clots, according to the lawsuit.

On Feb. 21, Kathia complained of heart palpitations and foot pain. Four days later, she complained that she couldn’t breathe and had trouble walking. She was given ibuprofen.

Later that morning, she complained that her chest hurt and that she couldn’t breathe and she fell to the floor.

According to the lawsuit, staff members carried her to a segregation cell and left a message for the center’s on-call nurse, who didn’t respond until later, after 911 had been called.

Kathia continued yelling in the cell but later appeared to be sleeping, the lawsuit contends. Later, about 45 to 50 minutes after Kathia was checked on, staff members noticed that she wasn’t breathing and called 911. They began CPR.

The suit accuses Children’s Mercy and its employees of medical malpractice over the prescription of the birth control patch. It also accuses detention center staff of negligence and violating Kathia’s civil rights.

A family court spokeswoman referred a request for comment Monday to the Missouri attorney general’s office. An attorney general’s spokeswoman said there would be no comment. A spokeswoman for the hospital said it could not comment about pending litigation.”

Family files lawsuit after girl’s death in Jackson County detention facility

[Kansas City Star 7/2/12 by Tony Rizzo]

The autopsy revealed that she died of bilateral pulmonary embolism [blood clots in both lungs].

“Attorneys for the Casseus family said Casseus had a thyroid condition and required medication.

“With a thyroid condition that regulates the body’s temperature, that indicates to us she was having a thyroid issue or she wasn’t receiving her medicine,” said Brian Costello, the family attorney. “But obviously reading that report screams there’s something wrong with this child and she needs help. And the system failed.”

Autopsy Results Reveal Cause of Death of Juvenile in Detention Center

[Fox Kansas City 4/13/12 by Sarah Clark]

“Family attorneys say the biggest discrepancy is with detention center officials claiming to have checked on Casseus six times in a near two-hour window following the time Casseus first claimed to not be feeling well. The police report states the detention center supervisor only checked on Casseus after she stopped yelling.”

Girl Who Died in Detention Had Thyroid Condition, Attorneys Say

[Fox Kansas City 2/28/12 by Michelle Pekarsky]

“Autopsy results by the Jackson County medical examiner later  determined that Kathia died of a blood clot in her lungs, caused by an Ortho  Evra birth control patch and smoking. “They tell me she was on the  birth control,” Destil said. “I never know nothing about that.” Brian  Costello is one of the attorneys representing Destil. “They had no  right to treat her or prescribe anything to her without her mother’s consent,”  Costello said. According to Costello, on November 23 the Jackson County  Juvenile Detention Center put Kathia on birth control. He also questions how  Kathia, who has never been known to smoke, accessed cigarettes in a secure facility for juveniles. Questions that have not been answered.”

Mother speaks out after daughter dies in juvenile detention

[KSHB 4/14/12 by Lisa Benson]

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