Family of girl who died in custody files lawsuit

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) – The family of a teenager who died in a Kentucky detention center is suing, saying the girl was restrained with a martial arts technique for refusing to remove her hoodie and then left to die in her cell.

Kentucky’s Department of Juvenile Justice says Gynnya McMillan died in her sleep of natural causes. The department’s statement says medical examiners determined she died without any signs of distress that would have prompted medical attention.

WAVE-TV (http://bit.ly/2bEIBXp ) reports that the family’s lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses the Lincoln Village Regional Juvenile Detention Center staff of falsifying records to cover up their failure to monitor the 16-year-old. Some of those records claim McMillan declined breakfast and a snack, and was non-compliant, when in fact she had already been dead for hours.

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Information from: WAVE-TV, http://www.wave3.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.