Jeff Davis Jail inmate overdoses, family thought he was dead

Jennings, LA (KPLC) - Imagine being told your loved one in jail is dead and believing it to be true when it’s not. It’s the nightmare one family in Jeff Davis Parish went through.

D’Andre Nixon is an inmate at the Jefferson Davis Parish Jail, and last week his family thought he was dead. Nixon’s family members said another inmate had told them this after Nixon overdosed on fentanyl.

“The incident occurred Thursday morning just after midnight,” Jeff Davis Chief Deputy Chris Ivey said. “He was transported to the hospital and he was in the hospital until Friday evening. He was released by the doctors.”

Ivey said Nixon was then brought back to jail and placed in isolation.

The family claims over the weekend, they called local hospitals and the jail, but were unsuccessful at getting information regarding Nixon and if he was okay.

“We were never given a confirmation if he was dead or alive,” Lurdine Breaux, Nixon’s aunt said.

Ivey told 7News that after the sheriff’s office saw Nixon’s family’s post on social media they tried to have Nixon contact his family.

“We got D’Andre Nixon out of his cell around noon, 12:30 Sunday to try to contact one of the relatives and let them know he was okay and he left some voicemails, but didn’t actually make contact with anybody,” Ivey said.

The family was worried if their loved one was dead or alive and came to the sheriff’s office Monday morning for some answers.

“They let me hug him because I didn’t know at first I could touch him,” Nixon’s mom Gwendolyn Nixon said. “She told me ‘get in close and hug him’.”

Nixon’s mom expressed relief after she was brought into the jail to see her son for herself.

“Medical-wise he looks good, he looks good,” she said.

Despite Nixon being okay, family members are still upset he could have died from the drugs he ingested.

“There’s no visitations, you can’t go in,” Breaux said. “There’s no phone calls, so how is drugs getting in the jail?”

The sheriff’s office said they try to stay on top of jail contraband and anyone caught helping bring drugs into the jail or any inmates caught with it will face charges.

JDSO also explained they don’t typically give out information to family regarding an inmate going to the hospital, because they don’t want family members coming in for unauthorized visits.

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