A distraught Alabama family is seeking answers after receiving disturbing photos of a loved one who is currently incarcerated in one of the state’s prisons.
via: People
In a Facebook post that has been shared 16,000 times, Kassie Vaughan posted photos of her brother, Kastellio Vaughan.
In the images, Kastellio is seen appearing to be semi-conscious slumped against a wall, while in another photo his ribs are showing and his stomach is distended, which she says shows how malnourished he is and in a dire medical state. The photos are in stark contrast to another Kassie shared where her brother is sitting up and looks fit and healthy.
“My brother’s health is rapidly declining. As you can see in these photos he is extremely malnourished. In these particular photos he cannot walk nor stand he is weak and vulnerable,” Kassie began.
An inmate at Elmore Correctional Facility, Kastellio, who turns 32 this year, is serving a 20-year sentence for multiple charges of unlawful breaking and entering in a vehicle as well as a Burglary I charge, per his record.
In her post, Kassie said she last saw Kastellio in July and “he was in good condition” at the time.
She became alarmed after she was sent the photos of him on Wednesday that said “GET HELP”
Kassie asked her friends and family to share the photo to bring attention to her brother’s declining health. She also started a GoFundMe to help pay for a lawyer, which has raised nearly $7,500 of its $12,000 goal.
In a follow-up post shared early Friday, Kassie said she had “no update” about Kastellio and his family hadn’t been able to reach him. She said she wasn’t sure which facility he was in “or if he has received any type of medical help.”
She reiterated that she and her family are “asking for medical help not a release.”
Kassie said later Friday that she has hired national civil rights attorney Lee Merritt.
A press release from Merritt revealed Kastellio had surgery last month that took out “a portion of his intestines as a result of gunshot injuries” he suffered before going to jail.
His family is convinced he was released from the hospital just hours after his operation and put back in the general population Elmore.
“Due to inadequate facilities, abuse and medical neglect Vaughan’s medical condition rapidly deteriorated,” Merritt adds. “Vaughan is believed to have lost 75 lbs .of body weight in less than a month. Vaughan surgical scars were exposed to unsanitary conditions and were possibly infected.”
Merritt also said in a statement included in the release, “Alabama State Prisons have a duty to provide the appropriate medical care for Mr. Vaughan while he remains in their custody. Prisoners are entitled to basic human decency as all other citizens in our country.”
He continued, “My office has been working to ensure Mr. Vaughan receives the care his condition requires. We are also investigating whether or not agents of the state of Alabama violated their duty of care to Mr. Vaughan by allowing his medical condition to spiral to the point reflected in the images now circulating the web.”
Elmore Correctional Facility and the Alabama Department of Corrections did not immediately respond when contacted for comment by PEOPLE.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement provided to AL.com, Kastellio was receiving appropriate care.
“He is assigned to Elmore Correctional Facility (CF) but is currently housed at Staton Medical Observation Unit. ADOC’s Office of Health Services has fully investigated his situation from a clinical perspective, and he has been offered all necessary treatment for his condition,” the department said. “Also, he has been in touch with his family to update them on his situation.”
On Friday, his sister refuted those claims saying their family still had not heard from him or had an update from the prison.
You can read Merritt’s complete statement in the following tweet.
— Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) September 23, 2022
Warning: Kacie’s post contains graphic images of Kastellio’s condition. Viewer discretion is advised.
The post Inmate’s Sister Shares Horrific Photos of His ‘Deteriorating Health’ in Prison and Begs for Help [Photos] appeared first on LOVEBSCOTT.
