County, relative reach $20K settlement over woman's jail death in 2022

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·1 min read
The St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend is shown in 2018.
The St. Joseph County Jail in South Bend is shown in 2018.

SOUTH BEND — St. Joseph County commissioners on Tuesday approved a $20,000 settlement to avoid a court case over the death of Christine DeZenzo, 49, in the county jail in July 2022.

In the settlement and release, the county doesn’t admit to any neglect, though it had been alleged in a court claim from DeZenzo’s brother, Michael DeZenzo, who is administrator of her estate.

July 2022: Woman dies in custody at St. Joseph County Jail, state police investigating

Christine DeZenzo had been found alone and unresponsive in her cell in the jail’s medical unit at about 8:30 a.m. that morning in 2022. Medical and jail staff attempted life-saving measures, but DeZenzo was declared dead at the jail, according to Indiana State Police, which typically investigates incidents at county jails.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County commissioners approve settlement in jail death