DETAINEE DEATH REPORTED

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 20, 2023) – At approximately 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, while distributing meals, a Detention Officer discovered detainee Lashala Taulbee-Pratt unresponsive in her assigned cell. The Detention Officer called for medical staff and immediately began life-saving measures. EMSA and Oklahoma City Fire Department personnel arrived and continued life-saving measures. However, the attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. Lashala Taulbee-Pratt, who was born on March 20, 1990, was booked into the Detention Center September 16, 2023, by Oklahoma City Police. She was booked in on a Possession of a Controlled Substance charge and multiple Oklahoma City charges. She also had a Fail to Appear Warrant on a previous Possession of a Controlled Substance charge. Her family has been notified. The State Medical Examiner’s Office will make a final determination as to the cause of death. We will provide further information once the cause of death has been determined. As is standard protocol, all deaths are investigated as homicides until a final determination is made.