Brayan Garzón-Rayo

Brayan Garzón-Rayo (Missouri), a 27-year-old Colombian man residing in St. Louis, died in ICE custody on April 8, 2025, at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri, less than two weeks after being arrested. He was arrested by ICE on a misdemeanor credit card fraud charge and sent 100 miles from St. Louis to a jail that his family had never heard of. His mother, Lucy Garzón, spoke with him by phone every day, and the conversation always concluded with her blessing. During his detention, medical personnel noted a variety of major health conditions, including labored breathing, anxiety, a history of a heart murmur, TB, and COVID-19. Despite this documented picture of declining physical and mental health, the mental health evaluation that facility staff had arranged for him was cancelled twice. The first cancelation, on April 4, was due to personnel shortages. The second time, on April 5, the appointment was rescheduled because he tested positive for COVID-19. On April 7, he was discovered unresponsive in his cell. He was transported to Mercy South Hospital and confirmed brain dead about 12 hours later. His mother’s final call to him was on April 3. He had complained about stomach pain and asked her to transfer money to his commissary account. He asked her to look into what the doctor had informed the officer regarding his health. Nobody ever told him. His remains stayed at a morgue in Cuba, Missouri, for weeks following his death because his family couldn’t afford to transport him home for burial. Nobody from ICE or the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department contacted his family in Spanish. The only persons that contacted Lucy Garzón were the organ donation office and the hospital. He was 27 years old.