Milwaukee County Jail death; no criminal wrongdoing by officers: DA
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office completed its review of an investigation by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office into the death of Cilivea Thyrion – a 20-year-old woman who died in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail in 2022.
Milwaukee County Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern issued the following conclusion in an Aug. 3 letter to Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball:
"At this time, pending the completion of the final autopsy report, the evidence in this matter does not support a finding of criminal wrongdoing by the correction officers who responded to Ms. Thyrion, nor by any other staff member at the Milwaukee County Jail. The evidence in this matter does not suggest an intent by staff members to harm Ms. Thyrion, nor that staff members acted with reckless disregard for her safety. In the absence of contrary evidence in the final autopsy, this office will have concluded its review of this matter and take no further action."
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The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said Thyrion had been in custody since February 2022 on strangulation and battery charges before her Dec. 16, 2022 death. The sheriff's office said at the time she was found "conscious, but in distress in her cell" -- and later ruled her death an "apparent suicide."
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Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office
"The MCSO respects our criminal justice system and the investigative process that is designed to ensure thorough, fair inquiries and bring appropriate justice. The MCSO understands that this death is tragic, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Thyrion’s loved ones.
"The MCSO will continue to evaluate policies and procedures as well as employ best practices to ensure that this agency is doing the most to protect the wellbeing of our occupants, the public and MCSO staff alike.
"The MCSO has opened an internal review into the matter to determine whether any MCSO policies or procedures were violated and to see if any additional steps can be taken in the future."