Clayton inmate’s death ruled homicide tied to ‘medical neglect,’ examiner says
The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office has classified an inmate’s death as a homicide, finding that medical neglect and uninhabitable conditions at the jail contributed to a fatal bacterial infection.
Scott Clyde Worthy, 57, died just over a year ago, on Sept. 6, 2025, after he was taken from the Clayton jail to Grady Memorial Hospital about a week earlier. He told emergency medical responders while being treated that he had not eaten in about four days and had not been able to get up to go to the restroom, resorting to urinating and defecating on himself before being taken to the hospital, according to a statement from the medical examiner’s office released Thursday.
Clayton District Attorney Tasha Mosley said she had received the report and “will be formally requesting” the GBI to investigate Worthy’s death.
The homicide classification and its findings do not determine criminal intent, criminal responsibility or legal guilt, said Brian Byars, the medical examiner’s office director.
Clayton Sheriff Levon Allen, whose office manages the jail, did not respond to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s request for comment.
Jail conditions have been an ongoing concern. Just a few days before Worthy’s death, Allen filed a lawsuit against county commissioners over budget constraints he alleged were affecting operations of his office and jail. Allen is seeking a court order to bar the Board of Commissioners from restricting how he manages his portion of the county budget, as well as an order to adequately fund the jail. That case remains open.
The month after the death, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia sent a letter to the sheriff pushing him to address “inhumane and unconstitutional conditions” at the jail, according to a copy of the letter the organization posted online. The letter, which does not reference Worthy’s death, cited issues such as “substandard medical care,” dirty clothing and overcrowded quarters.
Worthy died from “complications of Streptococcus pyogenes sepsis,” according to Byars’ statement.
“Mr. Worthy experienced a period of significant physical deterioration while confined in the Clayton County Jail and became unable to perform basic activities of daily living without assistance,” the medical examiner’s office said in determining the cause and manner of death.
The office said Worthy’s death was because of “medical neglect and uninhabitable living conditions while in-custody at county jail” and added that “other significant conditions included hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and obesity.”
GBI spokesperson Sara Lue confirmed late Thursday the agency had “not yet received a request” from the district attorney’s office for an in-custody death investigation.
Several county commissioners did not respond to the AJC’s request for a statement.
Court records show Worthy had been facing a charge of terroristic threats, for which an arrest warrant was filed in February 2025. He was indicted in June, and prosecutors dropped the charge Sept. 2, 2025, a few days after he was taken to the hospital on Aug. 30.
When emergency medical personnel evaluated Worthy before taking him to Grady, Worthy was alert and oriented, Byars said. A paramedic described his clothing as saturated with bodily fluids, and there was a strong odor of urine and feces, according to the medical examiner’s office’s statement.
Jail medical staff also documented Worthy had “severe widespread skin abnormalities,” including blistering and areas of necrosis, Byars said. An examination of Worthy’s skin also showed erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the skin, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Blood cultures obtained during Worthy’s hospitalization at Grady were positive for Streptococcus pyogenes. Byars said Worthy developed septic shock, respiratory failure, renal failure, brain dysfunction, low blood platelet count and other complications associated with severe infection.
Worthy died a few days later, on Sept. 6.
The GBI confirmed it conducted an autopsy Sept. 11. The Clayton Medical Examiner’s Office said the state agency “initially” classified the manner of death as undetermined, but stated “Worthy’s custodial living situation could have contributed to the Streptococcus pyogenes sepsis and specifically noted that medical neglect could not be ruled out.”
Additional probing by the Clayton Medical Examiner’s Office, which involved supplemental information from witnesses regarding Worthy’s condition before hospitalization, led its officials to determine that “failures to timely identify and respond to his severe physical deterioration while under custodial supervision materially contributed to the circumstances resulting in his fatal infection and death,” Byars said.
The medical examiner’s office said its investigation found that an officer described to emergency responders the “incompetence” of patrol officers, who were supposed to check on inmates daily. But the officer told emergency personnel it appeared they had not been conducting accurate checks, according to Byars’ statement.
Medical staff who treated Worthy at the jail informed emergency responders that Aug. 30, the day Worthy was hospitalized, was the first time they had seen him, and they did not know how long he had been in that condition, the medical examiner’s office added.
There is no video footage to provide a clearer timeline, Byars said, noting the GBI and doctors at Grady posited Worthy might have been lying in his own bodily fluids and not showered for “several days to weeks.”