Mother of Bexar County inmate who died in custody urges transparency; advocates cite spike in in‑custody deaths

At the public‑comment period of the April 28 meeting, Lydia Leos delivered an emotional plea for transparency and independent investigations after the death of her son, who she said entered the Bexar County Jail alive and later died while incarcerated. "My son entered the Bexar County Jail alive. He should have come home alive," Leos told the court; she urged immediate family notification for emergencies, independent probes of in‑custody deaths, and systemic reforms to avoid future tragedies.

Goldie Van Zandt, client advocate with the Texas Jail Project, addressed commissioners afterward and presented a statewide review that, she said, identified 124 reported custody deaths from February 2015 through 2025 and a concerning trend: Bexar County’s number of deaths approaches Harris County despite differences in jail population. Van Zandt recommended a deeper ‘deep dive’ into the county’s psychiatric and forensic wait‑list data before the court invests heavily in a new diversion center, and urged better continuity of care on discharge from state facilities to reduce revolving‑door cycling.

Judge Sakai and commissioners expressed condolences and said they would continue to explore operational changes and data sharing with partners; the court tasked staff to coordinate follow‑up and reconfirmed a commitment to systemic improvements across the county’s criminal‑justice and public‑health systems.