By Jordan Fouts
The Elkhart Truth
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Relatives of a man suffering from schizophrenia say his death while in the custody of the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office came after he was deprived of his right to medical care.
Thomas Ricke died on May 11, 2025, while being held in the Elkhart County Correctional Facility. He was 39.
The sheriff’s office reported that he was found unresponsive in the medical unit and jail staff began CPR while awaiting an ambulance.
Medics determined Ricke was dead upon their arrival. His death was investigated by the Elkhart County Coroner’s Office and the Elkhart County Homicide Unit.
The homicide unit closed the case after finding no evidence to support a criminal charge, according to Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker. The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the pending legal matter.
Ricke died of dehydration and hypernatremia, which is a high concentration of sodium in the blood, according to the lawsuit filed last week. It was filed by his sister, Melissa Ricke, in U.S. District Court, Northern Indiana, in South Bend.
“It has been extremely devastating for our entire family, losing our precious and beloved brother and uncle in this way,” Melissa Ricke said in a release from the Chicago law firm representing her, Romanucci & Blandin. “When Tommy got the treatment he needed, he was an amazing brother and friend. He didn’t get that in these facilities, so he died an extremely preventable death at only 39 years old. His death has left a huge hole in our hearts. Everyone in the community needs to know about this, and the people responsible absolutely need to be held accountable for our brother’s death.”
The suit alleges that Thomas Ricke was suffering from a serious, acute mental health crisis related to his schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at the time he was transferred to the Elkhart County Jail from Marion County. It claims that staff at the Elkhart and Marion county jails as well as medical contractor Wellpath failed to provide him with adequate care, leading to his death.
Thomas Ricke had received only a brief psychiatric examination by a mental health nurse practitioner while he was being held at the Marion County Community Justice Campus for almost a month, the lawsuit alleges. He was not given a mental health treatment plan as a follow-up and never received any medications, according to the lawsuit.
The crisis limited his ability to advocate for his needs while at the Elkhart County Jail , according to the lawsuit. Staff allegedly observed him “engaging in bizarre behavior that indicated a complete disassociation from reality and dangerous psychiatric crisis.”
That included rolling around naked in his padded cell and having apparent visual hallucinations, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims that jail and Wellpath staff knew Thomas Ricke was not drinking water and suffered from serious medical needs, but they did not take reasonable measures to address those needs. He had been on suicide watch in Marion County and suicide watch assessments were done by nurse practitioners in Elkhart County in the days before he died.
One mental health practitioner did recognize that Thomas Ricke needed water and offered him some on May 9, 2025, but he did not respond and she did not take additional steps to ensure he drank it, according to the lawsuit. Jail staff allegedly tased and pepper-sprayed him at some point that day.
A medical progress note filled out after his death stated that Thomas Ricke had not been eating or drinking on May 10, 2025, that he was on suicide watch with frequent checks and that he was yelling and banging on his cell door, according to the lawsuit. He had allegedly rang for help as many as 27 times during his days at the jail.
Thomas Ricke’s body was found facedown in his cell, allegedly in a state of rigor mortis, which takes hours to set in. His autopsy found a diffuse cerebral edema and pulmonary edema, in addition to contusions and abrasions to his side, abdomen and limbs, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial and an award of damages.
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