Woman who died in Harper Woods police custody died of heart issue, medical examiner confirms
HARPER WOODS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A medical examiner has confirmed to FOX 2 how a Black woman died while in police custody in Harper Woods, Mich. earlier this summer.
The medical examiner says 38-year-old Priscilla Slater died of natural causes due to cardiac dysrhythmia, which is an undetermined heart issue. FOX 2 has put in a request to Wayne County for the full autopsy report.
Priscilla Slater was arrested by Harper Woods Police on June 8 and died June 10. Police said she was found unresponsive in a holding cell. Police said medics immediately tried to revive her but couldn't.
Her death prompted multiple protests in the city as her family demanded answers and hired high-profile attorney Geoffrey Fieger.
"We'll see that Priscila was in need of medical care. We'll see that she could have been saved had she gotten to a hospital, and I'll bet you apples to oranges that they ignored her to death, literally let her suffer and die in the cell and provided no care and treatment," Fieger said.
Last week the city announced it had fired two officers in connection with her death, saying the two officers "concealed and manipulated evidence" in connection with her death.
Fieger says he's not sure why the two officers were let go but would say this: in his opinion, the officers deserve to be charged by the Wayne County Prosecutor's office for obstruction of justice and concealing evidence.
"People don't conceal this type of evidence unless there's liability, unless they've done something wrong," Fieger said Thursday. "They don't do this just to do it."