Family members not notified of Clayton County Jail inmate's hospitalization

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - The daughter of a former inmate in the Clayton County Jail said the jail failed to notify family members of her mother's hospitalization. 

According to records obtained Sara Roth, her mother, Regina Salman, fell in the Clayton County Jail on March 8 and again on March 10. After her second fall, Salman had to be taken to the hospital. 

She was initially taken to Southern Regional Medical Center but was later transferred to Grady Memorial Hospital because of the extent of her injuries. 

Roth said her mother had severe injuries, including a collapsed lung and bruises to her face.

During this time, Salman's longtime boyfriend and Roth were unaware she had even been taken to the hospital. 

Roth said her mother's boyfriend went to visit her at the jail but was told she was not there. 

"In early March when he showed up, they said 'oh, she's not here' and they wouldn't give him more information. Eventually, at the end of March, they said she bonded out," Roth said. 

Salman was arrested last New Year's Eve after being accused of taking beer from a neighbor's home. 

At the end of March, Salman was in the hospital, diagnosed with a severe brain tumor, and on a ventilator. 

"They just kept her on a ventilator because they had to find family," Roth said. 

On April 21, more than a month after being taken to the hospital, Roth got a call from the hospital. Initially, Roth said she was glad to hear her mother had been found. 

"I thought she really had been bailed out but then got hurt somewhere. I had to wait like a day to talk to the doctor. I just knew where she was. So I said, well, at least she's not missing anymore. That's good," Roth said. 

Roth and her mother's boyfriend soon learned Salman was dying. 

They took her off the ventilator on April 24, without the chance to say goodbye while she was still awake. 

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They're demanding answers to why they weren't notified as soon as she was taken to the hospital. 

"Even if our phone number on file was not correct or something, the jail has her permanent address. I sent stuff, Ronald was there all the time. He said he had to put his phone number in when he went to visit," Roth said. 

The death of her mother has come with a lot of emotions. 

Roth said the two didn't have the best relationship. Her mother was an alcoholic and they hadn't seen each other in nearly 10 years.

"I just thought she wasn't going to look so good. I feel like I just missed out on that because I was scared of seeing her. And then I had to see her in that state and it was way worse," Roth said. 

Roth is still in the process of trying to get all the records surrounding her mother's time in jail and the hospital. She said there are so many unanswered questions about her mother's death. 

Roth has recently discovered there are other families out there who have experienced similar situations. 

She's hoping to use her story to create change for others. 

FOX 5 reached out to the Clayton County Sheriff's Office for comment but did not hear back. 

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