GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — The death of a Galveston County Jail inmate has a family begging for answers.
Brittany Anderson, 32, died while in custody on Thursday, Feb. 1. Her family and community activists packed an area outside the jail Friday, demanding that surveillance video be released because they believe there was wrongdoing.
"We went to see the body, and they told us we couldn’t, and they told us it was under investigation," said her sister Robin Dennis.
Dennis said Brittany is a mother of five. Her youngest child is about to be 1 year old.
"I don’t know how to deal with it," Dennis said. "It’s crazy. She’s got little babies. A little baby that’s never going to be able to see her mama."
Brittany's death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers and the Galveston County District Attorney's Office, as is protocol in cases like this, but so far they haven't said what circumstances may have led to her death
“We cannot take them at their word," said community activist Quanell X. "They have a history of lying. We want the video."
Brittany's family said she had an altercation with a jailer and was left for hours in a padded cell. She was later found unresponsive and taken to the hospital, the family said.
“When I got the call, I dropped the phone because I couldn’t believe it," said Brittany's mother Amanda Anderson.
"I hope they find out the truth about what actually happened to my granddaughter," said Brittany's grandmother Betty Frazier.
The DA said Brittany had been in jail since Jan. 24 after being arrested on a motion to revoke probation for a felony offense of endangering a child.
Officials haven't said if or how jail employees may have been involved.