After death of the wife and mother of three in Bastrop County custody during early April, family of Marsha Hernandez of age 36 years left baffled and asking for answers. Hernandez from Smithville started serving a six-month jail from 2021 in charges of possession of controlled substance charge. The cause of Hernandez’s death is unclear, as the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office and state law enforcement.
Bryon Reeves, father of Hernandez said his daughter was having a long term medical issues and had faced multiple surgeries for spinal issues. He also said that there was nothing to take her into Bastrop custody. He added, “It’s just senseless that this girl, my daughter, should be in a situation where in fact they should have been helping her.” Marsha “always looked out for everybody else,” Bryon said. “She would bring the good out in people.”
On April 9, at about 11:00 a.m., a Bastrop County investigator was called to the cell in which Hernandez situated. There were EMS, fire department and jail personnel with life saving efforts in the room. At 11:25 a.m., the team stopped the rescue attempts and she was pronounced death. “As this is an active and ongoing investigation, no further information is currently available,” DPS said in a statement to KXAN in late May.
“The Sheriff believes that releasing information obtained during an investigation would hinder the ability of the Texas Rangers to verify facts that are not generally known by the public,” according to Bastrop County’s letter to the OAG.