Emma Lewis, 50

Platte City, Missouri
June 09, 2016

Agencies: Platte County Sheriff’s Office Missouri | Clay County Sheriff’s Office Missouri

Cause of death: Choking

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Last updated: almost 4 years ago

Overview

Two Platte County Sheriff’s Office deputies had come to her Platte City home on June 9, the same day a judge granted an order of protection to Lewis’ daughter, Antonia Ingelse. Lewis’ increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior made Ingelse feel unsafe.

The order meant Lewis could not stay at the house on Missouri 92 that mother and daughter shared. But Lewis refused to leave, deputies say, and fought against being arrested.

The 50-year-old woman lifted her legs as dead weight as deputies secured her arms behind her in double-locked handcuffs. She flopped down and yelled, banging her head on the grass. She flipped onto her stomach and kicked at the deputies.

She had screamed the same warning several times by the time a third deputy arrived. She told the deputies she had tried suicide four times before and “would get it right this time,” a deputy wrote in a Platte County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

When a fourth deputy arrived with a transport van to take her to jail, Lewis tried to run in front of it. She fought deputies who held her down to secure a seat belt.

The drive to the Platte County Detention Center was short, just five minutes, according to the sheriff’s office. When deputies opened the rear door, Lewis was no longer screaming.

She was not breathing and was covered in vomit. Her body was face down on the van floor with her hands still bound behind her and a seat belt wrapped around her neck. Deputies tried but failed to revive her.

Whether Lewis’ death could have been prevented or was caused by an unforeseen medical issue will be determined in an external investigation by the neighboring Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Legal Action

On October 28, 2016, a special prosecutor announced that no charges would be filed after the death of Emma Lewis.

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