SAN ANTONIO – A death inside the Bexar County jail has left one family devastated, but many others said they understand their pain.
Dimitri Lira, 33, died Monday morning while in custody. It was the ninth death so far this year at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said it happened because of a “medical episode.” Lira’s family felt like they were left in the dark, they told KSAT on Wednesday.
“I need closure,” Oralia Sandoval, Lira’s mother, said on Wednesday. “I don’t have answers to my questions.”
Lydia Leos watched that story, and had flashbacks to her own son’s death.
“It broke me,” she said. “I saw myself doing the same interview five years ago, almost five years to the day.”
Leos’s son, Julian Dena, died in 2020. His family decided to take him off life support after he overdosed on meth in the Bexar County jail.
“Julien was a grown man, and he made a decision that cost him his life,” Leos said. “But he made it in a facility that should have protected what he did.”
After Lira’s death this week, we reached out to the BCSO to learn what medical care looks like inside the jail.
A spokesperson stated that BCSO is responsible for the “safety and security of the facility,” but contracts with University Health to handle medical treatment.
On Friday, a spokesperson with University Health said they couldn’t discuss individual cases, but explained the process as this:
- When a person is booked in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, they undergo a screening
- That screening includes a health questionnaire of pre-existing medical conditions
- Anyone identified with conditions that require ongoing treatment is referred to a credentialed University Health medical provider
- That provider creates a treatment plan for the inmate while in custody
That spokesperson emphasized these protocols are consistent with “national clinical practice guidelines.”
Leos said her son’s death inspired her to call for statewide medical accountability and change for people who are incarcerated.
That’s one of the issues her new group, Grieving Mothers Fight for Justice, is trying to tackle.
One of those parents is Magdalena Martinez.
Her son, Juan Mendoza, was shot and killed at the intersection of El Paso Street and S General McMullen Drive in 2022. Three years later, his case is still unsolved.
“He was my life,” Martinez said. “I need to be here to get justice for my son, for what they did to him.”
How they lost their loved ones doesn’t matter in their group. They say their loss is felt the same.
“We’re showing up, and we will not stop,” Martinez said.
Their group is planning a march and rally on Sept. 20. The time and location are still being determined.
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