CLEVELAND — A state review of the death of a woman in Cuyahoga County’s custody last year found that the care Jennifer Wade received did not meet state standards.
An inspector with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction found jail staff did not immediately initiate CPR after Wade was found without a pulse on Feb. 23, 2025.
In fact, body camera video showed it was more than 15 minutes from the time Wade was found naked under a blanket on the floor of her cell in the jail’s mental health unit before anyone began chest compressions on the 41-year-old.
Wade, who was jailed while awaiting trial on a harassment charge at the time, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An autopsy found she died of heart failure.
Initially, the state found no issues with the jail’s handling of Wade’s death, but in April, the state reopened its review, saying the county did not turn over body camera video to inspectors.
RELATED: Newly-released video again raises questions about jail's response in emergency
Along with showing the delay in beginning CPR, the video also revealed that Wade was cold to the touch when she was found.
“She’s ice cold,” one jail staff member is heard saying on the recordings.
The state’s follow-up also found that only three of the 12 corrections officers and supervisors who responded to Wade’s emergency were CPR certified.
However, in their response to the findings, county officials submitted updated training documents that they said showed all staff members were certified at the time of the incident.
The county also pledged to review with staff what to do in emergency situations and to increase “scenario-based training sessions” as well as CPR and basic lifesaving training.
A county spokesperson declined to comment further, citing a pending lawsuit filed by Wade’s family.
That federal lawsuit seeks $50 million.
RELATED: Family of woman who died in Cuyahoga County custody files $50 million lawsuit
In a court filing this week, attorney Alex Bodiford, who represents Wade’s family, pointed out the county’s own records showed more than 12 hours passed between the time jail staff noted Wade was on the floor of her cell and were unable to get a reading of her vitals, and the time officers declared an emergency.
In a statement, Bodiford called the state’s findings disheartening and disappointing and said, “If CPR had been administered right away, perhaps Jennifer Wade would be alive today.”
