Suvechha Sarkar
Ta’Neasha L. Chappell was a 23-year-old dutiful mother, beloved daughter, and loving sister. However, her life turned upside down when she unexpectedly passed away on July 16, 2021, while in custody in Jackson County Jail, Indiana. The case quickly drew attention for its heartbreaking circumstances, as her loved ones grappled for answers. The episode titled ‘Brownstown, Indiana’ of SundanceTV’s ‘True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here’ sheds light on the emotional investigation, which highlighted the pain of her family and friends. It also features interviews with her loved ones and the attorneys who played a significant role in uncovering details about her last moments.
Ta’Neasha Chappell Embraced Motherhood With Open Arms at a Young Age
Ta’Neasha L. Chappell arrived in the lives of Lavita McClain and Donte Chappell sometime in 1998, in Louisville, Kentucky. Growing up, she received unwavering love from her parents and fostered a close bond with her siblings, including Jeffontae McClain, Ronesha Murrell, and Joshua Shea. However, it is essential to note that no public records reveal the nature of the relationship between Ta’Neasha’s parents. Ta’Neasha’s family and friends often described her as someone who always made others smile. According to Lavita, her daughter was a “mama’s girl.” When Ta’Neasha was just 13 years old, around 2011, she learned that she was pregnant. Ronesha stated that although Ta’Neasha was scared, she was overjoyed to welcome her daughter, Nevaeh Chappell, into the world.
Ta’Neasha then reportedly began attending a school for mothers with kids and was quite excited to attend there. Lavita stated that around that time, Ta’Neasha started hanging out with the wrong crowd, leading her down the wrong path. Lavita also revealed that, as Ta’Neasha started piecing her life back together, she began working alongside her mother at Taco Bell. On May 26, 2021, Ta’Neasha called her mother around 9 am, asking her to check why she hadn’t received her check from work yet. Shortly after, the 23-year-old visited a mall in Edinburgh, Indiana. However, when Ta’Neasha left the mall, authorities chased her for 50 miles across three counties as she was reportedly considered a shoplifting suspect who had allegedly stolen clothes worth thousands of dollars.
Ta’Neasha Chappell Passed Away While in Custody at the Age of 23
According to police records, Ta’Neasha got on the highway toward Louisville during the chase and was stopped twice. The chase reportedly ended when she crashed into a ditch on Interstate 65 in Clark County, Indiana. Ultimately, Ta’Neasha was arrested on May 26 and claimed that she fled in her car because she didn’t want to get shot. She was ultimately detained in Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, Indiana, and charged with resisting law enforcement, theft/shoplifting, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of marijuana, reckless driving, and other related offenses after fleeing police at high speed.
Ta’Neasha was held on a $4,000 cash bond, and the judge reportedly denied her bail-reduction request during a hearing on July 8, 2021. On July 16, 2021, she was found unresponsive in her prison cell and was rushed to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour. Unfortunately, Ta’Neasha passed away within a few hours of arriving. The autopsy reportedly determined that her cause of death was toxicity of an unknown substance, while her manner of death was ruled undetermined. Additionally, the medical examiner reportedly found a suspicious green liquid in her internal organs.
CCTV Footage From Jail Revealed Details About Ta’Neasha Chappell’s Final Moments
When Ta’Neasha passed away in her prison cell, her family demanded answers. According to reports, during the initial investigation, sheriff’s office detectives were working on the case and took photographs of cleaning agents found in Ta’Neasha’s cell. Eventually, the case was handed over to the Indiana State Police. On the show, Lavita and Ronesha reportedly claimed that Ta’Neasha called them from her cell and told them that the other inmates isolated her, further alleging they used racial slurs towards her. Official records indicate that a bottle containing liquid was recovered from Ta’Neasha’s cell and was suspected to contain the poison, but it was never sent for testing. As per Ronesha’s statements, shortly before her death, Ta’Neasha told her family members that someone allegedly put bleach in her pickle juice.
On October 15, 2021, Lavita filed a civil lawsuit against several jail employees and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. In the lawsuit, she reportedly alleged that the jail staff didn’t provide the needed medical care to Ta’Neasha when her health was deteriorating. According to official records, when Lavita’s attorney received the jail video, it revealed that around 8:04 pm on July 15, 2021, Ta’Neasha informed the jail officials that she was throwing up blood. Over the next few hours, she continued to ask to be taken to the hospital, but the nurse didn’t arrive in her cell until 8:45 am on July 16. The jail footage reportedly captured that shortly after, she collapsed on the ground, and around 1 am, she was put in an individual holding cell. Reports state that a few minutes later, Ta’Neasha undressed completely, and her words became incoherent.
Jackson County Agreed to Pay Settlement in Ta’Neasha Chappell’s Case
According to the footage, the officials didn’t call for Emergency Medical Services until around 3:05 am on July 16, 2021, and she sadly passed away after she was taken to the hospital. Ta’Neasha’s family members and Lavita’s attorney asserted that Ta’Neasha was denied much-needed medical care by the officials. On December 17, 2021, the prosecution reportedly announced that no criminal charges would be filed in the case because it was allegedly an unexplained medical crisis. During the deposition, the nurse, jail guards, and the sheriff were questioned. As per reports, while one of the jail guards admitted that Ta’Neasha was going through a medical crisis, the sheriff believed that there were initially no issues.
Court records state that the deposition also revealed that the 23-year-old never received a required medical assessment within the first 14 days of incarceration. Ultimately, in October 2025, Jackson County officials agreed to pay a $5.6 million settlement to resolve the civil lawsuit, including $5.5 million in cash, $100,000 for Nevaeh’s college education, and an additional $20,000 for settlement administration and trust costs. Moreover, the authorities agreed to make policy changes.
According to reports, in September 2025, Lavita reportedly refused to accept the settlement offer, but Nevaeh’s father, Andre Crittenden, felt it was not in Nevaeh’s best interest. Court documents state that in October, the commissioners approved the settlement, and it was finalized. However, it was still pending approval by the Probate Court overseeing Ta’Neasha’s estate, which was scheduled for December 2025. It reportedly indicated that the state would pay up the amount for Nevaeh by that same month. However, as of writing, no further public reports have provided any information about the settlement.
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