Mother of inmate who died in Beltrami Co. Jail rallies for answers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - A mother wants questions answered about her son's death at the Beltrami County Jail, so she held a rally in his name Saturday.

Del Shea Perry has been waiting weeks to learn more about her son's death that occured while in custody at the jail and so far, she's heard little from officials and she wants that to change.

Perry gathered with family near the Capitol Saturday to rally in response to her son’s death earlier this month.

“That was my only child and I loved him dearly,” she said.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says Hardel Sherrell, who was an inmate, died on Sep. 2 due to an “unknown medical condition,” but weeks later, the cause of death is still under investigation.

Perry says the wait has been hard on her.

“Very painful, very difficult to say the least,” she said. “Your world just kind of comes to a complete stop when something like this hits home.”

That's why Perry is pushing for more information.

“We need all video footage from the day he stepped foot in Beltrami County on the 24th of August to the day he was taken out in a body bag,” she demanded.  

Aug. 24, Sherrell was transported to Beltrami County Jail. Three days later, Perry says her son called saying he had gotten sick, fallen out of his bed and soiled himself.

“He called me in tears and he just kept saying, ‘Mama, I’m in so much pain. My back is hurting so badly. Nobody believes me.’”

According to the Beltrami County Sheriff on Sep. 2, Sherrell went unresponsive and died.

“And how does a man get that sick?” Perry asked. “27, healthy, young man and then fall dead six days later? It just doesn’t – something is just not adding up.”

For now, her wait for answers continues.

“We need everything to get to the bottom of what happened,” Perry said.

The rally briefly stalled light rail traffic for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Fox 9 reached out the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office for an update on the case, but no one was available.