Lyvita Gomes, who was jailed for failing to show up for jury duty, died Jan. 3 after refusing to eat for 15 days while in custody at a Lake County, Ill., jail.

The Goa native who grew up in Mumbai was 52 at the time of her death. She leaves behind her bother, Oydsteven Gomes, and her 94-year-old father, who she last spoke to on Dec. 14 from jail.

Oydsteven Gomes, Lyvita’s brother, told India-West in an e-mail, “Her going on a ‘hunger strike’ was out of character for the Lyvita we knew for years.”

“(She) was always positive in her attitude to life and wanted to help anyone who needed help. Lyvita was an achiever,” he stated, citing her resume, which chronicled an exemplary professional career.

Gomes was initially arrested Oct. 12, 2011, and charged with contempt of court for failing to appear for a jury summons. She resisted arrest and was also charged with that offense.

Following her initial arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Gomes into custody Oct. 14.

ICE Public Affairs Officer Shawn Neudauer told India-West that Gomes had overstayed her non-immigrant visa which had been issued in 2004. 

“After placing her in proceedings and releasing her on her own recognizance, ICE had no further contact with her, including after local authorities arrested her for another criminal offense in December,” said Neudauer. 

Following her release from ICE custody, Gomes was arrested again Dec. 12 by the Lake County Sheriff’s department for failing to show up for a court appearance on the resisting arrest charge. She was taken into custody and began her hunger strike Dec. 15.

Gomes was taken to a hospital Dec. 29, when medical personnel at the jail determined she needed to be hospitalized, Lt. Chris Thompson of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department told India-West. 

Food was brought to Gomes three times a day, but she refused to eat it, said Thompson, adding that Gomes was held in a special cell where her health was being monitored daily by a physician.

Inmates cannot be force-fed, he explained. It is unclear whether Gomes received nutrition through a feeding tube when she was transferred to the hospital. 

Lake County coroner Art Yancy told India-West that Gomes had died of malnutrition. Toxicology reports indicate no signs of substance abuse, self-inflicted harm or trauma, he added.

Gomes’ relatives in Mumbai have been notified, said Yancy.

Oydsteven Gomes, a film producer in Mumbai, told India-West that arrangements are being made for his sister’s funeral to be held next month in Waukegan, Ill. Her body is still with the coroner.

“I cannot give you any insight into her health or mental condition at the time of her arrest, as she did not confide in such matters to the family. All I can say, she seemed happy when she called the family on birthdays, every Christmas, Easter and New Year,” wrote Oydsteven in an e-mail.

Oydsteven Gomes also questioned why his sister was summoned for jury duty when she wasn’t eligible to serve. 

Thompson of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said that Gomes, though not a citizen, had a driver’s license and jury pools are often pulled from DMV records.

Oydsteven Gomes also questioned why it took officials several days to send his sister to a hospital. “If Lyvita had received proper hydration in a more timely fashion, would she still be alive today,” he queried.

Lyvita Gomes, who had earned several degrees in chemistry, biochemistry and business management, worked for Delta Airlines in their corporate office in Atlanta, Ga., where she consulted with senior management on leadership development within the corporation. After Delta made her position redundant in 2004, her employment status was unclear to the family, according to Oydsteven. 

“I don’t know whether this is an inadequacy or failure of the prison system or a careless culture and attitude towards individuals whatever their circumstance,” said Oydsteven Gomes. 

The Associated Press reports: An attorney for Lyvita Gomes said she was suffering from mental health problems, and friends and relatives said she'd been acting erratically in recent months. But jail officials said she showed no signs of mental illness when she began the hunger strike.

“We have a very competent medical staff,” said sheriff's chief Wayne Hunter, who heads jail operations in Lake County. “I'm not in a position to second-guess what they say.”

Nashville-based Correct Care Solutions has a $2 million annual contract to provide the jail's medical care. The company has been criticized for its handling of an inmate who stopped eating at a facility in Alexandria, Va. The company agreed last year to a $1 million settlement of a lawsuit alleging its nurses failed to properly care for the mentally ill man who died of dehydration after refusing food and water.

Gomes' friend, Madhvi Bahuguna, questioned how anyone in the U.S. could die in jail from lack of food and water, and wants an answer. And so do her relatives, who said they have no doubt she was suffering from mental health problems.

According to the Chicago Tribune, while at Delta, one former co-worker of Gomes’ said she began to show signs of mental instability.

She never confided any psychological problems to her family, her brother said. After being laid off from Delta, she moved to Illinois, and in 2007 used her then-valid visa and other identification to get a driver's license, according to the Illinois secretary of state's office.

Representatives of Lake County United, a coalition of religious institutions that works on social justice issues, also are questioning Gomes' treatment.

Oydsteven Gomes said in an e-mail to the Tribune that the answers could prevent the deaths of others.