SALEM – A female inmate at the Washington County Detention Center was airlifted to a Louisville hospital in critical condition after a suicide attempt, according to a report from Washington County Sheriff Brent Miller.
The incident occurred Monday evening, September 8, when jail officers discovered 38-year-old Alesia Dawn Neal unresponsive in her individual cell at approximately 6:26 p.m. Neal had been booked into the facility just three days earlier on a drug-related charge.
According to Sheriff Miller, jail staff had interacted with Neal shortly before the start of a shift change. However, during a routine headcount, officers found her in medical distress.
Emergency medical services were immediately called to the scene. First responders provided aid before Neal was transported via helicopter to the University of Louisville Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
In a move to ensure transparency and impartiality, Sheriff Miller has requested outside investigators from the Clark County Sheriff’s Department, led by Sheriff Scottie Maples, to review the incident.
“This is a serious situation, and our thoughts are with Ms. Neal and her family,” Sheriff Miller said in a statement. “We are committed to full transparency, which is why we requested an outside agency to investigate.”
