Ruling in Longview Jail Death

LONGVIEW – The Tarrant County Medical Examiner has ruled the manner of death of a Gregg County Jail inmate is undetermined. But he said he found no signs of notable trauma or foul play in the death of Micah Aaron Garner, 30. He ruled the cause of death “nocturnal adult death with evidence of recent ingestion of methamphetamine.” Garner was found unresponsive in his cell on June 6th. The toxicology report from Medical Examiner Marc Krouse showed a “low level” of methamphetamine in Garner’s blood, but noted that it could not be “directly attributed to the death at such a low level.” Garner had been in the jail for three days after being charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and forgery of a financial instrument when he was found unresponsive in a medical holding cell.

Garner’s death was the second in Gregg County Jail in less than six months. On December 29th, Amy Lynn Cowling, 33, was pronounced dead at a Longview Hospital after being found unresponsive in her jail cell. Her family has filed a federal lawsuit against the county, claiming she was denied proper medical attention.