SAFFORD, Ariz. — "These doors aren’t supposed to open from the inside,” said Graham County Sheriff's Deputy Rose Mary Lacey.
Yet somehow they did. Jorden Simms, 28, fell to her death out of a prison transport vehicle, two blocks from a hospital.
Simms' family believes Simms was killed because, just a few days before her death, she claimed she had been sexually assaulted by her arresting officer.
A 509-page Department of Public Safety investigation document added new information to the story.
How did we get here?
How did Jorden Simms end up dying on a Safford road the day after Christmas in 2019?
It started with her arrest five days earlier.
The case started with a shoplifting call. Documents from the Safford Police Department said Simms had been previously arrested for shoplifting.
Safford Police Officer Jeremiah French responded and wrote that he discovered Simms had a warrant for her arrest in Yavapai County.
After her arrest, the documents show that Simms complained of stomach pain and was taken to the hospital.
According to the arresting officer, he did not wear a body camera in the hospital to avoid a HIPAA violation.
12 News obtained jailhouse video and records from Simms' last days.
Video shows Simms tried to make an escape from the jailhouse bay and was wrestled to the ground by French.
"I ran away from the officer that molested me,” Simms said during a forensic interview on Dec. 26, hours before she allegedly jumped from the vehicle.
She continued her accusation toward French, detailing the alleged inappropriate behavior.
“He just kept telling me, 'It’s going to be OK, it’s going to be OK, just don’t make me look stupid,'” Simms said.
Simms was examined for evidence of sexual assault on Dec. 23.
Simms said that when she was brought back to jail, she was assaulted again, this time by a female officer while being searched in the shower.
"She told me to go ahead and report it because 'No one would ever believe you,'” Simms said in a forensic interview.
Simms would be taken for another sexual assault exam on Dec. 26.
After the exam, it was recommended that Simms go to a hospital to check why she had so much stomach pain. It was while on the way to the hospital that Simms fell out.
An autopsy conducted after Simms death revealed she had ovarian cysts and Meckel diverticulum, a lifelong medical issue with the intestines.
Both officers accused of assault by Simms denied the allegations.
What did the sexual exam reports find?
According to the DPS investigation, the exam found male DNA. However, the results were inconclusive due to insufficient DNA samples.
DPS interviewed the physician who conducted both sexual assault exams.
The examiner found it a "little strange" that an officer would be left alone with a patient.
On the second exam, the doctor said there was some additional bruising, but no evidence of sexual assault by the female officer.
While speaking to DPS investigators, the physician summed up her assessments. The investigation into allegations of sexual assault concluded with that interview.
"The investigation showed the claims made by Jorden Simms alleging sexual assault by Safford Police Department Officer Jeremiah French and Graham County Sheriff’s Office Detention Officer Kianna Bays were unsubstantiated," the report said.
French's attorney said the results were expected, but French was happy to be cleared.
“I don't buy it. I'm sorry, I don't buy it," Deborah Sanchez, Jorden Simms' mother, said. "There should not have been a male officer alone in a room. And then the body cam to be shut off."
Deborah said she has not been able to grieve her daughter's death as she has continued to seek justice.
“My daughter didn't deserve to die. No matter what,” Sanchez said.
How did Simms fall out of the car?
According to police, Simms escaped handcuffs, a belly chain and ankle restraints before jumping out the back seat of the police transport vehicle two blocks from the Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center.
Police found later that the child locks meant to keep inmates from opening their own doors, was engaged on the rear passenger side door, but not the driver side door where Simms sat.
Officers also found a single, travel-sized bottle of shower gel.
The DPS investigation revealed that Sgt. Arthur "TJ" Perez and Deputy Rose Mary Lacey said they were unfamiliar with the vehicle.
Instead of the normal vehicle designated for transport, they used a marked Graham County Sheriff Ford Explorer so they could go "faster," according to reports.
However, Lacey told investigators her normal unit had a glowing check engine light, so she grabbed a swing vehicle.
Lacey told investigators she did not know the vehicle had child locks.
"In all my years, I have never had a police vehicle that had working child locks or had any child locks," Lacey said.
Investigators asked Lacey if she ever remembered locking the door mechanism of the patrol car, to which she replied, "I physically didn't do it."
While preparing to leave the site of the sexual exam, Perez told investigators that they did not search Simms or the back seat before driving back to Safford.
Both officers told investigators that Simms was usually quiet but would occasionally request for the heat to be turned up.
When asked how hard it would be for an inmate to get out of handcuffs, a belly chain and ankle restraints, former Phoenix Police Commander Jeff Hynes said, “Every one of those things is hard, it’s difficult."
“All we hear is excuses after excuses," Benjamin Taylor, Simms' family's attorney said. “The report has a bunch of excuses in regards to why they didn't understand or know how to check the vehicle, or they weren't use to that vehicle. It doesn't make any sense.”
What happens next?
Last year, the attorney general's office decided there would be no charges filed against any of the officers involved.
In a statement, the Arizona Attorney General's Office said, “We have completed our review and have concluded no criminal charges are appropriate.”
"I feel like my daughter was dumped like garbage. I honestly do," Sanchez said.
The family is now seeking justice in civil court.
Taylor said the family has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the city alleging officers were negligent in Simms' death.
Officer Jeremiah French has since retired from the Safford Police Department.
FROM MARCH 2020:
