Oklahoma Inmate Who Died After Collapsing in Shower Suffered from Flesh-Eating Disease: Report
An Oklahoma inmate who died after collapsing in the shower nearly three months ago was reportedly suffering from a flesh-eating disease.
Lesley Hendrix, who died in October, Canadian County Sheriff Chris West confirmed to PEOPLE, was suffering from a flesh-eating disease, the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office said, according to news station KFOR.
According to the outlet, a report from the medical examiner said that Hendrix also suffered from septic shock and respiratory failure. Her exact cause of death was not immediately clear.
The medical examiner's office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Hendrix had been in jail since January 2016 after being accused of killing a 23-month-old she was babysitting in November 2015. Hendrix had yet to stand trial due to delays, the El Reno Tribune previously reported, and she was reportedly the Canadian County jail's longest-held inmate.
The babysitter told authorities at the time of the toddler's death that she had put her down to sleep but then could not wake her up, KFOR News previously reported.
The medical examiner's office ruled at the time that the toddler's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, according to the El Reno Tribune, and reportedly said that the trauma was caused by abuse while she was being looked after by Hendrix.
An autopsy showed that the baby died of a subdermal hematoma caused by the blunt force trauma, the outlet reported.
Dawn Little Elk, the toddler's mother, said at a preliminary hearing that she had dropped her children off at Hendrix's house and later received a text from the babysitter saying that there was an emergency, the El Reno Tribune reported. Court documents reportedly showed that Hendrix had called 911 that morning as well.
The baby died the next day, according to the El Reno Tribune, and doctors said that based on her symptoms, she must have suffered the abuse while in Hendrix's care.
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