The last few days of Melissa de la Cruz’s life were filled with pain, fear, and unanswered cries for help. The 45-year-old mother of three was in custody at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center when she began complaining of severe stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. But instead of getting urgent medical attention, she was allegedly mocked—and her condition was brushed off as “indigestion” from eating too many spicy snacks like Hot Cheetos, Takis, and pickles.
Now, her family is demanding answers in a wrongful death lawsuit, saying her death was not only preventable but the result of careless neglect that no human being should have to endure.
“She Was in Pain, and They Didn’t Care”
Melissa was arrested in March 2023 for a failure-to-appear warrant related to a past drug charge. Her family says she had struggled with addiction but was working to turn her life around. Once inside the jail, however, things quickly took a turn.
“She started telling them she was really sick,” said a family member. “She couldn’t hold food down, she was vomiting, her stomach hurt constantly. But they treated her like she was exaggerating.”
The lawsuit filed by her children states that for days, Melissa pleaded with guards and staff for help. Instead of taking her seriously, they allegedly laughed off her symptoms, saying she was probably just reacting to eating too many spicy snacks from the commissary.
“They said it was Hot Cheetos,” one of her children said, choking back tears. “But it wasn’t junk food. It was her organs failing.”
Medical Red Flags Ignored
It wasn’t until April 13—weeks after her first complaints—that she was finally seen by the jail’s medical staff. But even then, the response was shockingly insufficient. Medical notes show that her blood pressure was dangerously low, and she was pale and disoriented. All signs pointed to a serious internal infection.
Rather than call an ambulance, staff drove her themselves to a hospital 13 miles away, which her family says was a decision based on saving money, not saving Melissa’s life.
By the time she got to the emergency room, her body was already in crisis. Doctors found a gangrenous gallbladder, sepsis spreading through her system, and partially collapsed lungs. Her kidneys shut down. Despite emergency surgery and multiple attempts to stabilize her, Melissa slipped into a coma and died nine days later, on April 22.
A System Under Scrutiny
What happened to Melissa is tragically not an isolated incident. The Hidalgo County Jail had already been warned by Texas regulators about its inadequate medical staffing—the jail only had a physician available six hours a week, according to the lawsuit.
“This wasn’t just a failure,” said the family’s attorney. “It was a complete breakdown of care. A woman died because they decided her life wasn’t worth taking seriously.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the jail routinely tries to avoid responsibility by quietly transferring dying inmates to hospitals, a practice known as “medical dumping.” If an inmate dies at a hospital instead of inside the jail, the death often doesn’t count toward official jail statistics.
“That’s not a system designed to care,” said the attorney. “That’s a system designed to hide.”
Melissa’s Family Speaks Out
Melissa leaves behind three children who are now left grappling with grief, anger, and confusion. “She was our mom. She was funny, she was stubborn, she had her struggles—but she deserved to be treated like a person,” said her eldest daughter. “Instead, she was treated like a joke.”
The family is suing the county for wrongful death and civil rights violations, hoping to hold the jail accountable—and to make sure no other family goes through the same nightmare.
“She should be here,” her daughter said. “They let her die because they didn’t believe her. And now we have to live with that for the rest of our lives.”
Looking Ahead
As the lawsuit proceeds, there’s growing pressure on Texas jail officials to reexamine how medical concerns are handled behind bars. Melissa de la Cruz’s story is not just a lawsuit—it’s a painful reminder that basic dignity and care shouldn’t stop at a jail cell door.
If her cries for help had been taken seriously, Melissa might still be alive today. Her children want the world to remember her not as a statistic or a punchline about snacks—but as a mother who was failed when she needed compassion the most.
