US footballer Kaepernick to pay autopsy of man ‘eaten alive’ by bugs in jail

Colin Kaepernick, the US football quarterback and civil rights activist, has offered to pay for the autopsy of a man who died in a bedbug-infested jail cell in Atlanta. 

In June 2022, Thompson was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor. He was held at the Fulton county jail in Atlanta, where he was found dead in his cell on September 13.

The initial autopsy conducted to determine the cause of the 35-year-old man’s death described an “extremely severe” infestation of small insects across his body.

Michael Harper, the family attorney of Lashawn Thompson, also alleged that the deceased was “eaten alive” by insects and bed bugs.

The family of the Georgia-based man also demanded a criminal investigation into his death.

TMZ, however, reports that Kaepernick heard about the incident and offered to fund a second, independent autopsy.

It would typically cost between $20 to $50 thousand to carry out an autopsy.

The US football player was also said to have been upset about the cell conditions of Thompson and other inmates at the Fulton county jail.

Kaepernick and the family of the deceased have started the process of the second autopsy to determine the cause of Thompson’s death.

“The family decided to release the photos to illustrate the abuse he suffered. If you look at those pictures, how deplorable that jail cell was. It’s not fit for an animal,” Thompson’s family attorney had said.