Sandra Bland, the woman found dead in a Texas jail cell, was laid to rest in Lisle, Illinois. As mourners remembered the 28-year-old, her family is still questioning the ruling of her death as a suicide. Wochit
Mourners gathered on Saturday to lay Sandra Bland to rest, as questions about the circumstances of her death continue to rise.
Bland was arrested on July 10 after failing to use a turn signal and becoming combative with a state trooper in Waller County, Texas, authorities said. The 28-year-old was about to start a new job at Prairie Valley A&M University in Texas.
Three days after she was arrested, Bland was found dead, hanging from a noose made from a plastic bag in her Texas jail cell.
Now, with her mugshot circulating, debate has erupted over whether Bland might actually be dead in the photo and whether the potentially fabricated image is part of a cover-up for some harm that came her way. Forensic pathologist Michael Baden, who has consulted in many high-profile cases, examined the image for USA TODAY and said he does not see any evidence that would indicate Bland is not alive in the mugshot.
A wake and funeral was held for Bland in Lisle, Ill., on Saturday morning.
People look at a shirt with words '#SandySpeaks' printed on the front as they arrive for the wake and funeral service for Sandra Bland. (Photo: TANNEN MAURY, EPA)
At the service, held at DuPage A.M.E. Church in Lisle, many wore blue T-shirts with #SandySpeaks emblazoned on the front. The New York Times reports Bland was remembered by leaders as a smart, outspoken woman who once sang in the youth choir and participated in the church's Girl Scout unit. Bland served on church committees, befriended the congregation's elderly and had healthy self-confidence.
"This is someone who had over 50 selfies, healthy self-esteem," said Rev. Theresa Dear, according to the Times, who is an associate minister at DuPage who had known Bland since she started attending the church as a young girl. "Someone who had two job offers. Someone who just talked to her family and knew that help and rescue was on the way. This is someone who knew the Lord, and was extremely close with her church family and her sisters, her biological family. None of that adds up to taking one's life or suicide."
Bland's mother also reiterated that she does not believe her daughter committed suicide.
Meanwhile, fellow inmate Alexandria Pyle told CNN Bland had been despondent inside her cell that no one was returning her phone calls.
"She wasn't eating, and when I did talk to her, she was just crying and crying, and all I could say was they could not hold you forever," said Pyle.
Jasmine Johnson, childhood friend of Sandra Bland, reacts to the site of her casket before the start of her funeral service at DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church.
(Photo: Jonathan Gibby, Getty Images)
"I just had to relive everything that had happened and to hear her voice after I knew she was gone," said Mosley. "Part of it was the guilt because I hadn't listened to it."
Andrea Mandell, USA TODAY 7:01 p.m. EDT July 25, 2015
Newly released dash cam footage gives another glimpse into the moments after Sandra Bland was arrested.
Bland was arrested on July 10 after failing to use a turn signal and becoming combative with a state trooper, Waller County, Texas, authorities said.
Three days after she was arrested, Bland was found dead, hanging from a noose made from a plastic bag, in her cell at the Waller County Jail. On Thursday, Warren Diepraam, a Waller County prosecutor, said Bland's cause of death was suicide.
New dash cam video posted on the city of Prairie View'sYouTube page on July 24, shows another police officer responding to the scene where Bland was arrested.
The video is split into two clips and shows the officer responding to the scene and the moments until Bland is taken away.
Bland is in another patrol car when the officer arrives on scene, where she remains for much of the video.
In the first video, the officer's dash cam shows an officer approaching the squad car that Bland is sitting in. The officer appears to talk to her for a few seconds before turning to another officer. Bland steps out from the patrol car and the officer appears to pat her down before Bland goes back into the car.
On July 22, Police released a 52-minute long dash camera video from arresting officer trooper Brian Encinia's car. The clip showed Encinia yelling for Bland to get out of her car and demanding that she put her phone away.
"Step out, or I will remove you," he said repeatedly, opening the driver's door as she protested. While prosecutors ruled Bland's death a suicide, her family and friends have maintained that they do not believe she would have taken her own life.
Bland's family said the 28-year-old had just accepted a new job at Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, and was eager to start a new life in Texas.
Debate over what caused Bland's death has also erupted on social media. Days after she was found, the hashtag #IfIDieInPoliceCustody began trending on Twitter.
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| An undated handout image released July 21, 2015, by the Waller County, Texas, Sheriff's Office shows Sandra Bland after her arrest stemming from an altercation during a traffic stop by a Texas Department of Public Safety officer in Hempstead, Texas,on July 10. (Photo: Waller County Sheriff's Office) |
Bland's police mugshot is also circulating on social media,with many questioning whether Bland might actually be dead in the photo, and whether the potentially fabricated image is part of a cover-up for some harm that came her way. The arguments have pulled in a range of people, including the author known as Zane and reality show personality Judith Camille Jackson.
"I am big on looking into people's eyes and I don't see any life in hers," Zane posted on Facebook. "I hope they did not do such a despicable thing as is being implied."
Bland was laid to rest in Lisle, Illinois on Saturday morning.
Social media speculates whether Bland is dead in mugshot
USA TODAY NETWORK Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY 10:21 p.m. EDT July 24, 2015
(USA TODAY) -- Mystery deepens around the case of Sandra Bland, the Illinois woman who headed south to Texas to start a new job and who was found dead in a jail cell earlier this month.
Bland's police mugshot is circulating on social media, and debate has erupted over whether Bland might actually be dead in the photo, and whether the potentially fabricated image is part of a cover-up for some harm that came her way. The arguments have pulled in a range of people, including the author known as Zane and reality show personality Judith Camille Jackson.
"I am big on looking into people's eyes and I don't see any life in hers," Zane posted on Facebook. "I hope they did not do such a despicable thing as is being implied."
Tweeted Judith Camille Jackson of the Oxygen Network's The Bad Girls Club, "My heart goes out to Sandra Bland if she is in fact already dead in her mugshot. We have a serious problem. RIP."
Bland was arrested on July 10 after failing to use a turn signal and becoming combative with a state trooper, Waller County, Texas, authorities said. Video that has surfaced shows a trooper yelling for Bland to get out of her car and demanding that she put her phone away.
Three days later, Bland was found dead, hanging from a noose made from a plastic bag, in her cell at the Waller County Jail. On Thursday, Warren Diepraam, a Waller County prosecutor, said Bland's cause of death was suicide.
But after word circulated about the case, questions went viral. Bland's death comes on the heels of a what seems to be a streak of cases in which unarmed black Americans have died or been injured at the hands of the police.
The Waller County Sheriff's Department could not be reached for comment.
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