Wash. inmate with dairy allergy dies after eating oatmeal
EVERETT, Wash. -- Rose Saffioti was sure she was doing the right thing when she encouraged her son to turn himself over to police.
An arrest warrant for Michael Saffioti had been issued after he missed a court date. But after one night in jail, he was dead.
Now Snohomish County could face a lawsuit over a food allergy that may have been ignored.
Michael Saffioti knew dairy could kill him. He grew up reading labels and carrying medication, and still suffered severe reactions whenever he was merely near dairy protein. The stress made him anxious to the point of needing medication.
"Ultimately, he found and thought he was better functioning using marijuana," said his mother.
Michael did not have a medical marijuana prescription, and his use put him in and out of the legal system. In the most recent incident, he and his mother went to police, armed with his medical history after he had missed a court date.
"I wanted Michael held accountable for his legal issues and I insisted on it. But I didn't want him to die," said Rose.
After eating oatmeal in jail, Michael couldn't breathe. Other inmates say Michael begged for help and was accused of faking it. The autopsy found his severe reaction to milk products contributed to his death.
"You can't get help. You can't call 911. You're at their complete mercy," said Anne Bremner, an attorney representing the Saffioti family. "When the jail's the one that gives you something that's going to kill you -- that they know is going to kill you -- they, at a minimum, have to rescue you. And they didn't."
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said it would not comment on what happened or on the potential lawsuit until its investigation is complete.
In the meantime, Michael's mother is wearing his ring as a symbol of her quest for answers.
"This reminds me every day what I have to do for Michael," she said. "I know there's a period where he knew he was going to die. And he trusted me. Everything was supposed to be set up, that he'd be taken care of."
Rose said she will sue the county, but her first goal is to hold someone criminally responsible.
She and her attorney will encourage the prosecutor's office to file involuntary manslaughter charges against jail workers whom they believe should have prevented Michael's death.
KOMO News is a KATU.com news partner
MURDERERS! This kid never hurt anyone, and they MURDERED HIM. Someone needs to hang. Figuratively, but perhaps in the literal sense in terms of their career. No mother should be forced to outlive her son, especially when he did NOTHING WRONG.
Now I hear that their going to build or establish clinics for administering medical marajuiana in NJ and who knows where else.Â
Allergies, I know all to well what they can do, My freaking Colon is messed up because of allergies to..YA you guessed it..MILK! I to have to read all the damn freaking labels , have you any clue just how many things contain milk, from Peaches and cream Oatmeal all the way up to Freaking Breads. It takes 2 fricking hours to shop as you read the ingredients, NO one can no what we with allergies go through. and With me Milk can trigger diverticulitis attacks, that really sucks. So yeah, I can see where the mother is pOed. and any one that doesn't know the difference between lactose intolerance, and allergies..When a person says they are allergic, it means that they ARE NOT LACTOSE INTOLERANCE, IT MEANS IT IS POISON TO US!
 English Daisy. Stop pretending you know about a matter when you don't. If you have a severe allergy to something an allergy medicine is not going to help you if you take what your allergic to. You have to not ingest it AT ALL. We don't know if the kid was hungry and thats all he was given to eat and the prison didn't check on what they were giving him. I know what the general attitude is toward people in prison and they're looked down upon. Sounds like the poor kid was desperate because of all his health problems and took marajuana to give himself some solice. I'm not saying it was right but mercy should've been in place here. He should've been given a second chance at finding a solution, but no, they stick a sick kid in jail and indiscriminately do with him what they want and that is disrequard his need for certain foods. They should be held responsible their flagrant lack of respect for life. hey, have you or do you work for the prison systems? Did they pay you to come in here and post what you did, if you do? You should be careful what you say in the future and get it right.  Â
 @lee986321 please make sure that even though a product says it doesn't contain something your allergic to at one time, the company sometimes changes their ingrediants and you have to make double sure they have the same ingrediants as your used to. You could get really good at it once you've done it for a while. I had to do that for my daughter because she had something similar to you, coeliac syndrome. She had to steer clear of wheat, rye, barley and oats from the time she was a baby and all because her doctor gave her unnecessary antibiotics on her second day of birth, as he said "just in case." It ruined her digestive system and she had to go on the gluten free diet. It was really hard for a little one not to be able to take cookies and stuff to school that other children could eat.Â
 @englishdaisy You better reread the article. it states that they took the medical records with them when he turned himself in. My next question is this: do you have any serious allergies?
@Mike_J @englishdaisy I think she's allergic to sympathy.
He did do the right thing, ma. He IS a criminal after all.Â
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And he SHOULD HAVE been on allergy medication. If mom had cared about protecting him from deadlly allergic reactions. That could have happened to him - anywhere at any time. Not just in jail.Â
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I wonder - if mom will admit - he shoulda and COULDA been prescribed allergy shots. Like other inmates in our jails are allowed. All the time. He KNEW dairy products could kill him after all. No suprise there. What was he thinking - not being protected by those proactive life saving ALLERGY SHOTS.?
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Not the jail's fault. At all.Â
 @englishdaisy very cold
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 @englishdaisy Not all of us can take those shots, as I was taking them, I began growing weaker, I was have an allergy to the DAMN SHOTS! So no Shots do not work for everyone. and a blood test is the only way to know for sure what kind and how severe allergies one has. I have a VL +3 to milk and I have waht is called delayed reaction. meaning it takes or can take up to 6 months from what ever I ate to effect me.and send me to the ER.
I will probably get lots of hate-mail over this, but there is a good chance that it is not as it seems. The jail may be at fault, but not like you may think. I been there, ate their gruel, it was atrocious (sp?). They will not spend money on any single packages; they get these huge sacks of really basic oatmeal and boil the crap out of a grip at a time. There is no milk in it. (Or anything else good for you). Problem is, you don't have real cooks doing the grunt work, just inmates who are not getting paid (not really, anyway) they don't wash the kettles very well, stuff gets tossed around; they are putting together a lot of grub at once and things get jostled and sloshed. Anywho, the pot could have been contaminated from the night before, the milk could have been accidently spilled into the kettle or bowls, some inmate might have thought they were doing good, hell, maybe one of the grunts working K.P. knew him and hated him. Or was just having a bad day and wanted to hurt someone. These are just a few scenarios, pick one, pick none, pick your own I don't care, but badmouthing him, his mom, the intake or whoever when there is not enough details is just rumor mongering and not right! Don't you think he and his family suffers enough?
@englishdaisy Allergy shots are not a cure all. If you knew anything about this type of allergy, you would know that allergy shots likely would not assist him at all. He likely carried an EpiPen with him outside of jail for this reason. They won't allow you to have that on you inside the jail so it WAS up to the workers to administer that to him at the time. Sounds like they were also made aware of his severe allergy to milk and gave him food that contained milk. Do I think it was intentional, no, but are they negligent and ultimately at fault, yes.Â
 @englishdaisy For that kind of food allergy there is NO ALLERGY MEDICATION that you can take to keep you from having that kind of allergic reaction.  Only Epinephrine, which is taken IMMEDIATELY after you experience an anaphylactic reaction.  You Absolutely have NO IDEA what you are talking about!  And it is 100 percent the jails fault!
@englishdaisy Wow, you're the most insensitive piece of work I've ever encountered. Are you going to pee on his gravesite too?
This is what the "war on drugs" gets us. NO ONE should be locked up for personal marijuana use.
Man... Dying is one thing. Dying while people stand around doing nothing about it must be mental agony. Such a terrible story.
Someone should tell his mom that there are over 200 studies that prove the cannabinoids in cannabis kill cancer cells and reduce tumors by 50%. Google "cannabinoids cancer" and get Wikipedia, NIH, AMA, ALA, you name it.
Lets all remember this young man was put in jail and harassed by our local government over a simple plant. Â You vote for that and call it progressive.
So sad.
I am not trying to be insensitive, trust me, I'm sure the family must be grieving. But if you knew you were allergic to dairy, why did you eat oatmeal?
 @DubStealth because normally whats in oatmeal is oatmeal and not necessarilly milk. I eat just oatmean itself with some sugar and cinnamon.Â
 @DubStealth I know that what the jails serve the inmates as food is worse than garbage. Where do they get this crap! So, when incarcerated you eat what you can, even though most of it is gross and disgusting. If you have never been in jail, you can not possibly know what goes on behind closed bars. My sympathy goes out to the family,GO GET EM"!!!!!!! Because they really don'
t care about anyone.Â
 @DubStealth Why would anyone think plain oatmeal, a grain, has had any cross-contamination with dairy if it is presented as plain oatmeal? .
 @DubStealth Oatmeal is not dairy until you add milk to it. The justice department had known that he was allergic to dairy, so he trusted that they would not use milk in his oatmeal. They did not observe his allergy specifications and, as a result, he paid the price for their error: A painful and agonizing death.
 @Cibus_Ignis  @DubStealth Actually if they get those flavored Oat meal pouches like peaches and cream, yes, they contain milk.
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 @Cibus_Ignis  @DubStealth They also did not help him/ ignored his crisis when he was dying and failed to render assistance.
 @DubStealth Ha ha.. :) I was thinking the same thing.Â
Worst mom ever.
 @nammertime Why? Worst Mom Ever? She tried to make her son jump through the "legal hoops". She sure as hell didn't have him turn himself in so he would die from oatmeal~what are you thinking?
 @coastgal  @nammertime yes that is really unfair. She'll have to live with this for the rest of her life. WTF was this kid doing in JAIL?? ugh.
Sad, very sad!
This does not surprise me.
Have you ever known anyone who works in a Jail? Yikes. Not the best / nicest people to be around. Some are okay, most pass as people who actually belong behind bars. I guess that's why they work there.
 @Agent Sydney Bristow I highly agree!!!! because I've been in jail before for a petty crime and they acted like I murdered someone. If you have food allergy's they should let you know that you can't eat this and they should bring you something else. Thats really sick that someone would laugh at you while your dying in a cell and just left him die sorry to say couldn't they see that he wasn't breathing? that is negligence! and murder if you ask me!
ACAB
REALLY? I can't believe this happened to this poor guy. He did not deserve to die this way. I feel so sorry for him and his family for trying to do the right thing and then this happens. I hope Rose gets JUSTICE for her son when the jail should of treated him with his food very carefully. Did he instantly go into shock or was he back in his cell and they found him? I couldn't imagine. I truly feel this could of been prevented (OBVIOUSLY) It's all about stupid people cutting corners and not caring. I hope he's not suffering anymore up there. RIP Michael.
They don't care about you, they want you dead. we all know that. Now your going to hire a lawyer, and he's going to get bribed, and you'll be left with nothing.
I wonder if the sheriff still thinks marijuana is a "good tool" for arresting criminals so he can hold them in jail.
The guards who ignored his cries for help should be fired! Snohomish County will pay for their ignorance!
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It is morally bankrupt to punish nonviolent adults for making a safer health choice, cannabis or marijuana, compared to other medicinal/social drugs. Less than 1% of US are actually addicted to anything. Treatment is seven times cheaper than prison. Show fiscal responsibility, demand morally correct policy
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The tobacco, alcohol and prescription drug gangs cause more death annually than all illicit drugs! !
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We have better use for our taxes than to spend them having probationers pee in a cup, imprisoning them if they fail. Prisons propagate crime, violence and sexual deviance. Putting nonviolent offenders in this breeding ground is madness.
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I am afraid! Violent predators roam free, rape kits go unprocessed, schools go under funded, roads need repair while our precious resources are depleted chasing nonviolent drug users.
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Restore Justice, the guardian of liberty! Incarcerate more of those morally bankrupt, selling drugs to children or driving intoxicated. Drug warriors can get their adrenaline rush chasing murderers and sexual predators. Save lives instead of ruining them. Get tough on violent crime!
 @Colleen McCool The guards who ignored his cries should be PROSECUTED for wanton indifference if not murder.
I bet you he did ask. But I bet you they said there's no milk it's made with water. I have this severe allergy too so I know he asked. Folks who don't know all the different names and ways milk is known by would just assume if it doesn't say MILK that there fore none is present or used.
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This is so unfortunate. All they had to do was respect him as a person. He was already locked up. He was a problem. The problem is whne folks are in these positions of guarding...they also take on moral superiority. They thought he didn't deserve to be heard or answered or accommodated. They didn't see him as a human being worthy of respect.
Oatmeal can also be made with water not just milk. So I believe, he was assuming the oatmeal was made with water, rather than milk, as he was probably used too. Unluckily, this oatmeal wasn't and more then likely he didn't give it a second thought. I strongly agree someone should be held accountable for not providing help the county must provide when they decide to take in any person. When there's an intakes at any correctional faculty, there is always a medical form, which must be filled out by either parent, doctor, or inmate. Being it which, the jail workers should have had files on each individual inmate indicating medical or mental (i.e. suicidal) problems. Knowing that, there action should have been, even if they considered the inmate to be faking, checked his files that would identify his allergy and contacted the nurse to check on the inmate. They did not, they should be held accountable and the county should be sued rightly for the death of another innocent non violent man.
 @Mylohigh I take it you don't have a severe allergy of any kind... because if you did, unless you absolutely positively 100% KNOW where the food is coming from and the ingredients in it to a T, then you will ask every single time and you will know the names for the substances you're allergic to, popular and not so popular versions of it. My nephew is deathly allergic to peanuts, and even I as his aunt know that before I even buy something, let alone give it to him, I read every single ingredient multiple times to insure that it doesn't contain something that will kill him. This guy knew his allergy, and I'm sure he asked. There's never an assumption when it comes to something like that, even if it's how he ALWAYS has it at home... he wasn't at home.I'm not putting you down, just explaining. :) Â
 @Kiki Late reply but as Paul T said, guess you've never been to jail before. Paul explained it well, eat it or go hungry, guards aren't looking to make their job difficult so they tend to not care. From my experience, the guards will try to intimidate you to show dominance over you and that is why I ASSUMED he did not ask, simply he was intimidated at the time of receiving his food but I am not 100%. He could have asked if there was milk, not saying that it's not a possibility but I just dont believe he did. In which case he did, because as you pointed out, someone with serves allergy to a food, such as milk, would have ask if they werent 100% on where the food came from or what was made of it. That sounds like a logical thing for anyone to do in a reasonable situation, being in jail isn't. You dont have time to stop and talk nor are you even a loud to talk while in line getting food or sitting down eating the food. Why I believe he didn't stop to ask. Now if he asked two things could have happened, they would have confirmed that milk was in the oatmeal and he would have moved on, this discussion wouldn't be happing. Or when he asked a guard or the inmate serving the food, more then likely they denied milk being in their (probably to solve the situation faster, because most criminals look for the faster answer) then he goes off eating it. I do take back saying I doubt he ever thought twice about it, from the sound of responses from people with server allergies it's something you don't forget hah. Not having a severe allergy makes me incapable of giving a valid thought for that moment he received the food but I still stand by my opinion that he did not ask. If I knew this was a problem, I would have made sure I was guaranteed a 100% accurate answer that it in fact was not made with milk. That answer should have fallen on the guards, whom are responsibly for his safety, to then provide the correct answer being a medical problem. Which didn't happen, but the guards do show lack of caring later by not believing him, so the possibility that they just said "it's water move along" is far more plausible situation to occur then him not asking, sure.  Also, there is a large difference between oatmeal made with milk verse water, I can tell the difference....just saying =\
 @Kiki  @Mylohigh I take it you've never been to jail before, because if you did you'd know that the guards would say "of course there's no milk. Eat it or go hungry." and walk away. Just like when I told them they shouldn't feed me a meal of nothing but simple carbohydrates or they'd trigger my reactive hypoglycemia. They told me to eat it or go hungry. I figured I'd take my chances rather than faint from lack of food. The FBI was furious when they came to the cell a couple hours later and found me unconscious on the floor of my cell. My cellmates told them what happened, and they completely lost it on the guards at the county jail. They were able to rouse me partially and carry me out with help from my codefendant, but them's the breaks. Jail guards are not selected for their love of humans, respect of medical issues (mine were declared upon arrival, and documented, and they were warned of what would happen) or any feature other than being alpha male dickheads.
I hope his mother learned her lesson! She is as guilty as the prison officials are for intentionally turning her son over to these scumbags, especially for the minuscule and victimless "crime" he committed. And for all of you who say, "why did he eat it?!? OMG!?!" oatmeal does not have milk in it! Since when do prison systems use expensive prepared food packets like "Quaker Instant Oatmeal" that you people buy in the store? They don't. There was no reason whatsoever for this young man to expect dairy products in oatmeal.
 @RandyMarshCT Actually there is usually a light dusting of whey protein on oatmeal to perk up the flavor on the "just add water" types. Your horse is a little high, why don't you come on down off it.
 @LTDansen  @RandyMarshCT Exactly what i was thinking.. some do have milk protein.. as someone with celiacs i ALWAYS ASK if theres gluten in stuff.. if he was so anxious about it that he self medicated and couldnt be near it i am positive he asked if there was any in there. the guard not knowing other names for it thought nope its made with water its fine.. but obv it wasnt. the jail is completely liable for this...
 @Jaime Boyle  @LTDansen  @RandyMarshCT And people LIE about food ingredients all the time. I know this personally, as I have allergies and gluten intolerance. People want to blow off an allergy because they think it's no big deal or even lie with malice about food ingredients because they think anyone advocating for themselves about their allergies are being bossy or uppity or manipulative simply because there are a lot of stupid insecure people out there who want to "be in charge" and these guards sound like they fit that bill.
 @LTDansen  @RandyMarshCT Not to mention they had a full medical history and SHOULD HAVE CHECKED the food in the first place.Â
 @RandyMarshCT Dude, that is her son. She will be mourning and being guilt ridden for the rest of her life. She is not as guilty as the prison system. She is a victim of it as well. Â
 @RandyMarshCT Exactly, I would've assumed they make the oatmeal with water, it's just cheaper! But idk I'm an economic major I see things in value
"But idk I'm an economic major I see things in value" What the hell is "idk"? It has been a few years since I took my economic classes, but that one is new to me!
@merryjanemas @iamtroglodite sorry,
I did not realize. Funny how the double standards work here. The other day I misspelled a word (actually left out one letter) and someone literally called me stupid.
 @iamtroglodite it means 'i don't know' ha read the sentence again