ELKHART, Ind. — The family of a 39-year-old man who died of dehydration while in custody at the Elkhart County Correctional Center has filed a federal lawsuit against several county officials, jail employees and a private health care company. Thomas “Tommy” Ricke died May 11, 2025, four day s after he was transferred to the Elkhart County jail, according to the lawsuit filed Sept. 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Ricke’s sister, Melissa Ricke, filed the lawsuit as the representative of his estate. The lawsuit names Wellpath LLC, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Sheriff Jeff Siegel, Marion County, Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal and several medical and correctional personnel as defendants. The lawsuit says Ricke had schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and that medical staff knew about his diagnoses when he entered the Marion County Community Justice Campus. According to the complaint, Ricke went more than a week without a psychiatric evaluation. He was not given a mental health treatment plan or psychiatric medication during that time, the lawsuit says. The complaint says Ricke’s mental health deteriorated while he was in Marion County custody and that he was experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis when he was transferred to the Elkhart County Correctional Center. The lawsuit says staff at the facilities knew Ricke was not drinking water and was experiencing serious medical problems related to his mental health condition. The complaint says staff did not take sufficient steps to address those needs. Ricke died from dehydration and hypernatremia, a condition involving an abnormally high concentration of sodium in the blood, according to the lawsuit. Marion and Elkhart counties contract with Wellpath to provide medical and mental health services to people in custody, according to the complaint. The lawsuit says the counties and Wellpath failed to provide Ricke with constitutionally required medical care. It also details other deaths in custody that the family says involved similar failures. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages under federal civil rights law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as damages for wrongful death. The family is represented by attorneys Sam Harton and Stephen Weil of Romanucci Blandin in Chicago. “Tommy should be alive today,” Harton said in a statement. “His death was entirely preventable, and all he needed was adequate medical care.” Melissa Ricke described her brother as “original, funny, kind, and smart” and said he loved music, helping others and spending time with family and friends. She said Tommy was in medical observation when he died and that his family believes he did not receive the care he needed. The defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit in the information provided by the law firm. The claims in the complaint remain to be decided in federal court. ...read more read less