A 68-year-old grandfather arrested for a probation violation died in ICE custody under mysterious circumstances that raise serious questions about accountability in our immigration detention system and the deadly consequences of policies that allow criminal illegal immigrants to remain in the United States.
Story Snapshot
- Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado died on May 4 during ICE transport, deteriorating from healthy to deceased in just three weeks while in custody
- Medical experts determined he was already dead when EMS arrived, contradicting the 911 call claiming he was “barely breathing”
- One month after his death, no official cause has been released and investigators never requested medical records from the jail where he rapidly declined
- The family was denied access to medical information and prevented from getting answers about his treatment before death
Rapid Decline Raises Custody Concerns
Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado was arrested on April 9 by the Echols County Sheriff’s Office for an alleged probation violation. Family members described him as healthy and active at the time of his arrest. Within three weeks, the 68-year-old Mexican national was dead. On the morning of May 4, his son Junior visited him at Lowndes County Jail and found his father wheeled in, frail and unresponsive, unable to stand, speak, or make eye contact. Hours later, Avellaneda-Delgado was pronounced dead during transport to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
Contradictory Accounts of Final Moments
TransCor, a subsidiary of private prison company CoreCivic, called 911 at 12:49 p.m. on May 4, reporting Avellaneda-Delgado had become unresponsive at 12:35 p.m. during transport. Emergency medical personnel arrived to find him sitting upright with no breathing, no pulse, and skin described as “pink, cold, and dry” with dilated and nonreactive pupils. Dr. Amy Zeidan, an emergency physician who reviewed the EMS records, confirmed he was already dead when responders arrived, his body cold and stiff. This directly contradicts the 911 call’s claim that he was “barely breathing,” raising questions about transport protocols and the timeline of events.
Family Denied Critical Information
When Avellaneda-Delgado’s daughter Nayely demanded medical information at the jail on May 4, authorities denied her request, citing privacy laws. The family never received adequate explanations for his rapid deterioration while in custody at Lowndes County Jail. They learned of his death not from ICE or jail officials, but from the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta. ICE did not issue a public press release until May 8, four days after his death. Captain Clifton of Lowndes County Jail confirmed that neither the Georgia Bureau of Investigation nor ICE requested medical records from the facility where the grandfather’s health catastrophically declined.
Investigation Stalls Without Answers
As of late June 2025, more than a month after Avellaneda-Delgado’s death, no official cause has been released by ICE or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Webster County Coroner Hubbard suspects an aortic aneurysm but toxicology results remain pending, potentially months away. CoreCivic spokesman Brian Todd stated the company was “deeply saddened” and cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation. The lack of transparency and the failure to request critical medical records from the jail where he was held raises serious concerns about accountability. This case highlights fundamental problems with immigration detention oversight and the consequences when individuals with criminal backgrounds remain in the country due to lax border enforcement policies.
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Georgia grandfather’s death in ICE custody leaves family in shock
