In April 2019, 47-year-old Texas woman Holly Barlow-Austin who was on probation for a misdemeanor offence was arrested for violating the terms of her probation.
After her arrest, Holly was locked up in a jail cell managed by LaSalle Corrections, a private prison company in Texas.
Between April and June, Holly was denied access to every sought of care because LaSalle was trying to cut costs. She needed her prescription medication to be refilled, but they ignored her and stated that she was faking her illness.
Image: Holly before the detention(top left), in jail(bottom), and in the hospital(top right)
On June 11, the jailers saw that her condition was getting out of hand and then decided to send her to a hospital. At this time, Holly who walked into the jail in good health had gone blind and became paralyzed. They took her to the hospital so that she would not d1e in their care.
Sadly, six days later, on June 17, 2019, Holly Barlow-Austin lost her life after doctors tried effortlessly to save.
Her family sued LaSalle Corrections and received $7 million compensation, the largest de@th settlement in Texas history.
This video contains the real footage of Holly in jail which shows how they slowly tortured her.
Disclaimer: The footage contained in this video are disturbing, a modern-day equivalent of the N@zi concentration camp.
The Tragic Story of Holly Barlow-Austin, Unbelievable Torture
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).


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