Father outraged over death of daughter in police custody

Lina Odom, 28, suffered medical problems in detention facility, police say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A father is demanding answers after his daughter died in police custody at Jacksonville's pretrial detention facility.

The Clay County man said he does not believe what Jacksonville Police said about the circumstances surrounding the death of his 28-year-old daughter.

Police said Lina Odom died after she started exhibiting symptoms of medical problems and that investigators do not believe foul play was involved.

Odom's father tells News4Jax that he received reports from other inmates in the jail who said his daughter passed out in the shower and immediately started turning purple. A few inmates carried her out to her bed in the middle of the women's dorm. 

Odom's father said other text messages he received go on to say the other inmates tried to get the attention of corrections officers, then one officer walked in and began yelling at the inmates for trying to help her.

"I was supposed to be picking my daughter up from jail and now I'm picking her up from the morgue," Odom's father said.

He said he is looking to get a lawyer or any help to find out what happened to his daughter, who he said was much more than what her mugshot shows and provided News4Jax another picture of his daughter.

The medical examiner's office is working to determine the exact cause of Odom's death.


About the Authors

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.

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