The mother of a local jail recruit who was caught on video struggling through training before he died is now suing for millions.
The lawsuit follows a Channel 2 Action News investigation that prompted the medical examiner to change the recruit's cause of death.
George Ward's mother told Channel 2 investigative reporter Erica Byfield that she's desperate for answers.
Lorriane Fredericks said she hopes this lawsuit compels everyone else who hasn't wanted to talk about the incident to come clean.
"What did George do, what did he do to deserve this?" Fredericks said.
She says losing her son has forever changed her life. She hardly sleeps and is still haunted by the video of his final hours.
George Ward wanted to be a DeKalb County jailer.
Fredericks said she had no idea, until Byfield showed her, that leaders in the Sheriff's Office forced him to wear pink and stood by and called him names as he struggled to keep up during training.
"They did not have to treat him the way … he did not deserve that," Fredericks said.
Ward was sent to the hospital with a temperature of 107 degrees. He died the next day.
Fredericks buried Ward where she raised him in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Fredericks credits Byfield's investigation for getting the medical examiner to change his cause and manner of death and the GBI to investigate.
The Sheriff's Office never did.
Fredericks flew to Atlanta this week and filed a $20 million civil lawsuit.
Byfield spoke to Fredericks on her way out of the courthouse.
"They did something wrong and they need to be held accountable for what they did to George," Fredericks said.
Fredericks filed the suit in her name and on behalf of Ward's two sons.
The suit alleges DeKalb's former Sheriff Tom Brown, current Sheriff Jeff Mann and host of others conspired to cover up how the jailers treated Ward.
Fredericks and her attorney believe someone should be held responsible.
"The facts of this case, its aggressions, malicious, corrupt, you can keep naming on an on," said attorney Harry Daniels.
"As long as I don't have those answers, I don't think I will have peace in my life because I just want to know what happened to my son," Fredericks said.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office and the county declined to comment because of pending litigation.
Byfield reported there were details in the suit we've heard but never reported.
The suit says the former sheriff allegedly conspired with the medical examiner to keep what happened to Ward quiet.
It is unclear if the DA will pursue criminal charges.
