{"id":341,"date":"2026-05-15T05:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T05:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=341"},"modified":"2026-05-15T05:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T05:33:13","slug":"haitian-man-with-toothache-had-major-infection-when-he-died-in-ice-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=341","title":{"rendered":"Haitian man with toothache had major infection when he died in ICE custody"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ \u2014 The Maricopa County Medical Examiner has released a primary cause of death for a Haitian man who died in ICE custody earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Read more WATCH: Phoenix Union high school embraces artificial intelligence<\/a><\/p>\n

Emmanuel Damas, 56, died in March inside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Florence after his family first told ABC15 that a tooth infection went untreated.<\/p>\n

The medical examiner has updated the primary cause of death as “Complications of Necrotizing Mediastinitis with Neck and Retropharyngeal Abscess in the setting of Severe Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe medical examiner\u2019s primary findings make this preventable tragedy even more\u202fhorrifying. A toothache should never escalate into a fatal medical emergency, especially\u202fwhile someone is in government custody and entirely dependent on detention staff for\u202faccess to care,” said Representative Adelita Grijalva.<\/p>\n

See ABC15’s previous coverage here.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Damas came to the U.S. in February 2024 through a program under the Biden administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program was for two years,\u201d his brother, Presly Nelson, said.<\/p>\n

Nelson said they were seeking asylum for him, which was denied, so they were in the appeal process.<\/p>\n

Damas, a father of two, was a handyman in Haiti before coming to the United States because of unrest in the country.<\/p>\n

His brother told ABC15 in March that he and his mother had been speaking with Damas by phone while he was being detained, and he had complained in mid-February of a toothache.<\/p>\n

Read more WATCH: Scottsdale Fire gearing up for wildfire season with reminders for the community<\/a><\/p>\n

Nelson said he asked his brother if he had been taken to the dentist, but Damas said they had just given him ibuprofen.<\/p>\n

Days later, Nelson said another detainee called the family to let them know Damas was rushedto a hospital in Scottsdale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurse said he most likely he had a tooth infection, and he did not get the proper attention, and it had spread to his neck, then to his lungs, and he went septic, and it spread to his whole body,\u201d said Nelson.<\/p>\n

The family wants an investigation into what happened at the facility. \u201cHis stay would have expired exactly on February 19th, and that’s the exact date when he got sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody dropped the ball for whatever reason,\u201d Nelson added.<\/p>\n

The report into the death of Damas has not been released as it is not ready yet, according to the public database on the ME’s website.<\/p>\n

In a statement Thursday, Representative Grijalva said she has not received records she and other colleagues have requested, including his medical records of care, complaints made to staff, and a full accounting of the circumstances leading to his death.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, ICE publicly released a timeline around his death.<\/p>\n

You can read more details about the timeline here.<\/p>\n

ABC15 has reached out to ICE for comment about the preliminary cause of death, but we have yet to hear back.<\/p>\n

Read more Fun and unique Valley date ideas beyond dinner or drinks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner has released a primary cause of death for a Haitian man who died in ICE custody earlier this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investigations"],"yoast_head":"\nHaitian man with toothache had major infection when he died in ICE custody - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=341\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Haitian man with toothache had major infection when he died in ICE custody - 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