PORT ALLEN — The father of a West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center inmate, who died after suffering an unknown medical crisis earlier this month, says he still has some questions about the details surrounding his son’s death.
According to the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, 38-year-old Ryan Moreau of Baton Rouge suffered an unknown medical emergency just after midnight on March 5 while incarcerated at the detention center.
Two men are facing additional charges following Moreau’s death.
Ryan Moreau’s father told UWK that he wasn’t told much about the circumstances of his son’s death. However, he said the family is still waiting on results from a toxicology report.
“All they told me from the beginning was they found Ryan unresponsive in his cell and then they got him revived and called the ambulance, which brought him to Our Lady of the Lake in East Baton Rouge.”
Authorities say that shortly before Moreau collapsed, he received an item or substance from fellow inmate Quwinton Norman, 34. As deputies rendered aid to Moreau, detectives say Norman then approached another inmate, Joshua Janise, 34.
“The investigation revealed that Janise positioned himself between detention center deputies and Norman’s bunk, repeatedly glancing back to obstruct their view. Norman was later seen leaving the area with an unknown package concealed under his arm. The package was never recovered,” the press release states.
Both Norman and Janise are being charged with obstruction of justice. Moreau said prison officials didn’t tell him about the incident involving the two men and said he only found out about it after reading the story on UWK’s website.
“I just don’t know exactly what went down in that cell. It’s very suspect. The prison hasn’t come forward to say ‘This is what happened’, Moreau said.
Moreau was at the hospital when his son ultimately died and said while Ryan wanted to be an organ donor, doctors weren’t able to salvage his organs in time after he was removed from life support.
While Moreau still has questions surrounding his son’s death, he admits that he knew his son had struggled with drug abuse in the past.
“Unfortunately, the drugs just kind of got him down the wrong path, not that it was the drug’s fault by any means,” Moreau said. “He’s just a great kid. He never hurt anybody. He just had a drug problem.”
West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Sgt. Landon Groger said that once the investigation is completed and if the results of the toxicology report indicate foul play, Groger said family members would be contacted at that time.
“We understand this is a difficult time for the family and remain committed to a thorough and complete investigation. At this time, some details remain unknown. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available,” Groger told UWK.
While Moreau hadn’t spoken with his son since arriving at the facility in August, he said Ryan never wrote about any issues in the letters he sent to his father.
“He’s told me about issues at other facilities that he was in but not at this particular one,” Moreau said. “He never mentioned anything nefarious. It was all upbeat-type stuff.”
Moreau posted a tribute to his son on Facebook, remembering him as a jokester and someone who loved the outdoors.
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