Waller County officials have released the autopsy report for a black woman found dead in a county jail three days after a confrontation with a white officer during a traffic stop.
The 11-page report released Friday corroborates findings detailed a day earlier by Waller County officials who said 28-year-old Sandra Bland committed suicide by hanging on July 13. Toxicology results are still pending.
The report by the Harris County medical examiner's office notes Bland used a slipknot to fashion a noose out of a plastic liner that was taken from a trash can.
Meanwhile, the spotlight on Waller County has turned more alarming, according to county judge, Trey Duhon. He tells KHOU 11 News that the courthouse and the jail have been flooded with calls about the case.
"They've tied up our sheriff office phones to the point where if you had an emergency and you were trying to get a hold of the sheriff, you may not get through because it's a busy signal," said Duhon.
He says the calls are threatening and include death threats. He said the nature of the calls forced county officials to step up their security.
"We're not gonna take anything lightly. We had investigators that were just in our office, that were obtaining information for a search warrant regarding a couple of threats that we've received." he said.
Judge Duhon is asking for folks to be wary of rumors circulating online and to be patient while the Texas Rangers and the FBI finish their investigation.
"I would like people to know that the Waller County, the community that I know, and everybody that lives and works here is much different than the Waller County that's being portrayed out there in social media," said Duhon.
We have also learned the Waller County sheriff is asking for an independent citizen's review of how his department is run.
The sheriff did not want to comment on Friday, but a prominent local defense attorney, Paul Looney, tells KHOU 11 News he has been asked to gather the review panel.
"We've been asked to take a look at everything his department does and put a fresh set of eyes on it, come up with any suggestions we have. There's no promise that anything will be implemented, but he really wants to know what outsiders' thoughts will be," said Looney.
Looney said the panel will be made up of a diverse group of local residents with no connection to law enforcement. He also said they will be given free access to look into how the sheriff's office operates both - on the street and in the jail.
"I've also been given complete and total access to everybody, every piece of paper, every inmate, any time I want to," said Looney.
The committee is set to begin its work next week. In the meantime, funeral services for Bland are scheduled for Saturday in suburban Chicago.
She was in Prairie View, about 50 miles northwest of Houston, for a job interview when she was stopped on July 10 for a minor traffic stop.
Her exchange with a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper escalated to the point where she was handcuffed and thrown to the ground. The trooper was later put on desk duty for violating DPS procedures.
Her family has criticized the traffic stop and her incarceration, adding that she was looking forward to a new job and wouldn't take her own life.
To view a copy of Bland's autopsy report click here.
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