Family of Army veteran calling for answers after his death in DeKalb County Jail

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The family of an Army veteran who died inside the DeKalb County Jail is pushing for answers and transparency regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.

Christon Collins died in his jail cell on March 13, officials said. He had been in the DeKalb County Jail since Feb. 4. 

Jail officials say the 27-year-old man experienced a medical emergency in his jail cell last Wednesday. The on-site medical team responded until paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital where he later died. 

Collins' mother, Jonia Milburn, told FOX 5 days after his death that her son was suffering from mental health issues and should have been in a hospital receiving treatment.

"There's no reason my son should be dead in a jail cell," Millburn said.

She said her son has struggled with his mental health since leaving the army.

"He served our country, he gave his time, not only did he give his time, he gave his mind because he came back a totally different person," said Milburn.

The family will speak on Monday about the changes they are calling for the jail to implement in response to his death.

Christon Collins' family calls for video to be released

The family says jail surveillance video of his death doesn't match up with the sheriff’s office’s narrative. Collins’ mother, Jonia Milburn, says the video shows her son lying on the floor for hours before any personnel responded. 

"He was sick, he needed help," said Milburn. 

His mother says she saw video of her son’s death from jail surveillance cameras for the first time after she got in an open records request. 

"I got to see my son laid (sic) on the floor for three hours with no care. Nobody acknowledged it," she said. 

She is now calling on the sheriff’s office to release the video publicly so everyone can see the alleged neglect. 

Milburn also shared the medical examiner's report with FOX 5, which appears to show fentanyl and other drugs in Collins's system, but the toxicology report from Emory at the time of his death shows he was clean of all those drugs, including opioids. 

"There's so many unanswered questions that I have, so many things that I want to know," she said. 

Another document she has been able to obtain shows that a detention officer failed to render aid, despite being CPR certified, and did not use an AED on him. 

A second detention officer was on her cell phone during the incident, against jail policy. 

"There was no urgency of anyone moving on when they found my son, there was no sense of concern," she said. 

FOX 5 reached out to the sheriff’s office for an interview or statement, but was declined, citing possible pending or threatened litigation. Collin's family has not said if they plan to file a lawsuit.

Why was Christon Collins in jail?

Milburn says for the past 3 years, her son had been in and out of jail. 

In December 2023, Collins was arrested after reportedly running across the interstate and ramming his shoulder into a police car.

"Allegedly, he ran across 12 lanes of I-85. That clearly tells you something is wrong. You don't take that person to jail," Milburn said. 

Officers charged Collins with obstruction of law enforcement and simple battery against police.

Milburn says she has tried to get her son some help. She called jail officials and state leaders to plead to get him transferred from the jail to the VA for treatment.

The Texas mother says, while it may be too late for her son, she wants to use his death to help others.

"My son, he can't come back, but there needs to be change, change in these laws, change in how police handle not just veterans, but mental health. It's real," she said.

FOX 5's Denise Dillon contributed to this report.