The family of a gay 24-year-old who died at Rikers earlier this month is seeking answers about the circumstances surrounding his death after they said jail officials ignored his pleas for medical care when other inmates heard him “screaming” for help.
Esias “Izzy” Johnson, a Massachusetts native remembered by his parents as an intelligent, kindhearted young man, was found dead at 9:45 a.m. on September 7 after he spent an entire month trying unsuccessfully to get released on his $1 bail. He is one of 11 people who have died at the notorious jail complex this year alone.
The city’s chief medical examiner told Gay City News the cause and manner of Johnson’s are pending “further studies.” A New York Daily News report published just hours after he died cited a source claiming he suffered a fatal overdose — and Johnson’s family learned of that claim in the news — though they have not been informed of any official cause of death and they are hesitant to draw any sweeping conclusions.
“Inmates came forward saying he had been complaining of stomach pain for days,” Johnson’s mother, Tracy Johnson, told Gay City News in an interview on September 19. “Inmates said he had been screaming all night for help, and come morning time, he couldn’t get out of bed. He never got out of bed for breakfast.”
She added, “I think they put a drug overdose to cover up that they weren’t taking care of him or helping him.”
The family’s attorney, Jamie Santana, told Gay City News that he believes “multiple inmates saw and heard” Johnson in pain and “witnessed that he received zero medical attention.” Santana said Johnson’s calls for medical attention “were heard and known by the facility.”