The family of a holding center inmate on life support wants answers from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, including how he sustained injuries in the jail.
Sean Riordan, who turns 30 on Tuesday, was admitted to Buffalo General Hospital late Sunday morning, Hospital staff informed the man’s mother that her son is unlikely to survive.
The sheriff’s office told the family that Riordan complained of dizziness before collapsing under cardiac arrest at the Erie County Holding Center.
Tracie Riordan, and his mother, Christine Riordan, said the explanation from the sheriff’s office did not make sense and that the timeline of events they provided “wasn’t matching up.”
Both family members saw injuries on Riordan’s body that they thought looked suspicious.
Family members also said they want to know why it took the sheriff’s office at least 24 hours to inform them of the incident.
Family members said Riordan was battling a heroin addiction, but he rarely drank alcohol. Therefore, they found it odd that his blood tests showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.04, which is half the level that would make it illegal to operate a vehicle.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Tracie Riordan said. “Everything is suspicious.”
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office said Riordan had a “medical episode” and that deputies followed protocols.
The state Commission on Correction confirmed that the sheriff’s office reported the incident on Monday to the commission, which investigates jail deaths.
The family said they have an attorney who sent the sheriff’s office a certified letter this week demanding the agency preserve any jail and body camera footage of the incident.