The words “Diamond Ross” are scrawled on the box, an apparent reference to the 34-year-old Dallas woman who died in August 2018 after going unresponsive while in custody following her arrest.
UPDATED at 4:40 p.m. to include a statement from the Dallas County district attorney’s office stating its plan to present Diamond Ross’ death to a grand jury once authorities have completed their work on the case. A previous version stated that the office declined to pursue the case.
Authorities are investigating after a coffin bearing the scrawled words “Diamond Ross” was found on the front lawn of Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot’s White Rock-area home Saturday morning.
Officers arrived about 6:40 a.m. to the home in the 8100 block of San Leandro Drive “regarding a coffin being placed in the front yard without the homeowner’s permission,” said Sgt. Warren Mitchell, a Dallas police spokesman.
Later in the morning, authorities — including bomb squad members — were at the home investigating the coffin and eventually removing it. Creuzot was seen outside talking with authorities, including someone from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.
When asked for comment, Creuzot said he had none.
Earl Slocumb, who lives across the street, said he saw about five police cars parked on the road in front of their home around 7:30 a.m. He said officers were asking neighbors for any video footage or information on the incident. His Ring Video Doorbell camera didn’t pick up who left the coffin, he said.
Slocumb said the coffin was taken away by police by about noon. He said the area is usually free of problems, so neighbors had been worried about the large police presence.
“It was just a lot of police cars, and people couldn’t drive down the street,” he said.
The coffin had a homemade look, appearing to be built from wood and with lettering applied with what looked like white spray paint. A flier tacked onto a nearby utility pole carried the headline “WHERE’S THE PROGRESSIVE?” and went on to read: “Creuzot says he gives hope to the hopeless. Give hope to Diamond Ross’ family. Hold Dallas Police accountable for her death. #JusticeForDiamondRoss.”
It’s unknown if the coffin and flyer were put in place by the same person or people.
Diamond Ross died Aug. 19, 2018, some 24 hours after she fell unresponsive while in custody at the city detention center. The incident began about 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 18, after police and an ambulance were dispatched to the 1400 block of Exeter Avenue, not far from the 34-year-old Ross’ home in southern Dallas.
Police said that Ross and her boyfriend been arguing and that she had punched through an air-conditioning unit. Officers said she was acting erratically and was combative. It took several officers to subdue and handcuff her, records show. The Dallas County medical examiner’s office later determined that she died of an accidental overdose.
Dallas-Fire Rescue officials cleared Ross for transport to jail. But police took her by patrol car to the city detention center, about 8 miles away, for booking on outstanding warrants. Once there, records show, she was found unresponsive. A different Dallas-Fire Rescue crew arrived and took her to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where she died just after 7 a.m. on Aug. 19.
More than a year later, Dallas police released several videos from Ross’ last hours. At various points, Ross can be heard asking for help and water. Other footage, from inside the jail, shows Ross being dragged into a holding cell and placed in a wheelchair.
DPD investigated two officers — Sr. Cpl. Larry Moody and trainee William Ortega — for their actions during the arrest. Ortega resigned during the investigation, and Moody was issued a written reprimand. The internal affairs unit found both officers gave “improper” transport to a prisoner and failed to provide medical treatment.
Last June, after months of trying to find answers in the case — namely why Ross was taken into custody instead of to a hospital — Ross’ family filed a lawsuit against the city of Dallas and multiple agencies, including the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Dallas marshal’s office.
The suit laid out several objectives: compensatory, special and punitive damages; an acknowledgement that Ross’ rights were violated; and a change in police policies regarding mental health and substance abuse intervention.
On Saturday, the district attorney’s office issued a statement stating that once authorities have completed their investigation into the Ross case, it will be presented to a grand jury.
Staff writer Kelli Smith contributed to this report.
