Shocking video shows man locked in jail cell on minor charge 'being ignored by prison guard as he dies from food allergy'

Michael Saffioti, 22, turned himself in to police on July 2 last year for misdemeanour marijuana charge

Mother received a call next morning letting her know her son was dead

Autopsy report reveals Saffioti died from severe allergic reaction to dairy



His mother is suing county in $10m wrongful death suit



A never-before-seen videotape from a county jail reveals how an inmate, being held on a minor charge, was ignored by guards shortly before he died from a food allergy.

Michael Saffioti, 22, turned himself into the Snohomish County Jail in Washington state over a marijuana possession charge on July 2 last year and was dead less than 24 hours later.



Saffioti died from a severe allergic reaction despite being reassured by prison guards that his breakfast was suitable for his allergies.

The footage, obtained by KIRO7, shows Mr Saffioti questioning the breakfast tray that he has been given at the jail on the morning of July 3.

Scroll down for video for the prison

A medic tries to resuscitate 22-year-old Michael Saffioti after he was found unconscious in his cell on July 3 last year. He had explained to guards he had severe daily allergies beforehand

Tragic: Michael Saffioti, 22, who suffered from severe food allergies and asthma, died from an allergic reaction while spending the night in prison for a misdemeanour offense

The 22-year-old had been in the jail before, so authorities had a record of his extreme dairy allergies.



Cheryl Snow, the attorney for Saffioti's mother, Rose told KIRO7: 'We know that he asked questions and made inquiries and he was assured the oatmeal in the food was safe for eating.'

The attorney said she was forced to file a complaint to see the video after authorities originally claimed that it did not exist.



The tape shows that within minutes, Michael Saffioti asks to use his inhaler and, according to the lawsuit, asks to see a nurse.



He is returned to his cell where he allegedly presses the call button but is ignored.



The 22-year-old is found unconscious 35 minutes later and dragged out for nurses to perform CPR. He is rushed to hospital but pronounced dead.



An autopsy report from the Snohomish County medical examiner revealed that Michael Saffioti died from bronchial asthma triggered by the consumption of dairy.



His mother Rose Saffioti, has brought a $10million wrongful death suit against the county.



The 22-year-old, who turned himself into the jail over a minor marijuana possession charge, is seen on camera asking a guard if the breakfast tray is safe for him to eat because of his sever dairy allergies

When the 22-year-old turned himself in to police last July, Mrs Saffioti assured him it was the right thing to do, and that he would be out the next day.



Mrs Saffioti t old The Herald last year that despite reassurances that the prison staff would take his medical needs into consideration, her son was scared.

‘He said, “Mom, I have a bad feeling that they are not going to take me seriously.”’

The mother, from Mukiteo, Washington, said that her son brought along a bag of medications needed to control his allergies and asthma, and he had expected to be placed in the jail's medical unit.

Instead, he was placed in the general population. Mrs Saffioti received a call the next morning to inform her that her son was dead.

She said that she has spoken with other inmates who were there. Many of them knew her son, and called him ‘Bubble Boy’ because of his debilitating allergy to dairy.

Mrs Saffioti believes the cause might have been what he was served for breakfast on July 3 – oatmeal with milk, and that her son’s death could have been prevented.



Outraged: His mother, Rose Saffioti, pictured, is now suing the county for her son's wrongful death



