The mother of a man who died by suicide at the Tulsa Municipal Jail has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the private security contractor that runs the city lockup.
The Frontier reported in March that at least seven people have died at the 70-bed jail for misdemeanor detainees over the past three years.
Amanda Cullum, the mother of Jeffrey Fetterhoff, filed the lawsuit on May 8 in Tulsa County District Court against Allied Universal Security Services. The lawsuit also names jail administrator Weston Hardin and detention officer Jasmine Owens as defendants.
Fetterhoff told Owens when he was being booked into the jail in October 2025 that he had a mental illness and had recently attempted suicide, the lawsuit claims. Despite his history of mental illness, Owens placed him alone in a cell with a wall-mounted phone and cord.
Two days later, Fetterhoff was found unresponsive with the cord around his neck. The suit alleges detention officers failed to intervene or monitor the cell’s surveillance camera.
Cullum is suing for claims of negligence, gross negligence, negligent hiring and training, and wrongful death, and seeks damages exceeding $75,000.
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“Allied and Hardin failed to ensure their employees were properly trained, hired, supervised, and retained,” the lawsuit claims.
Allied Universal and the City of Tulsa did not respond to requests for comment.
Fetterhoff, 23, struggled with schizoaffective disorder and had recently been discharged from a psychiatric hospital when he was arrested in October 2024 for trespassing at a QuikTrip in midtown Tulsa. An arrest report said he was “mumbling to himself” outside the store and refused to leave. Trespassing in Tulsa under the city ordinance carries no jail time for a first offense and a maximum $200 fine. Fetterhoff had no criminal record, according to the lawsuit.
Cullum described her son as “very, very kind-hearted” in an interview with The Frontier last year. Fetterhoff loved playing the guitar and writing songs. He was also devoted to his three younger foster sisters, she said.
The city jail has no on-site medical or mental health staff. Former employees said they were removed from their positions after raising concerns about understaffing and inmate care before the deaths began.
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Garrett Yalch was hired in 2024, joining The Frontier’s Tulsa newsroom. He covers corporate and government accountability issues, with a focus on the Tulsa area. He can be reached at Garrett@readfrontier.com
