Now, Alexander's family is telling ABC13 they're prepared to fight for answers in their loved one's death.
Alexander has a well-documented history of mental health struggles in his court records, and according to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, people with a history of mental illness should be check on every 30 minutes.
A June 30 notice from the jail commission notes the Harris County jail was recently out of compliance, with at least one person not being checked on for over 5 hours.
ABC13 asked the sheriff's office if rounds were being done regularly the day of Alexander's death but they did not answer the question. Last week, they told ABC13 the issues in the notice were fixed or in the process of being fixed.
"Their death was preventable. All of these were preventable deaths," Krish Gundu with the Texas Jail project said.
Gundu said if more was invested in mental health care and wraparound services, deaths like this could be avoided.
According to jail data, almost 79% of people in the jail self-report a history of mental health problems.
"So if we really truly want community safety and public safety, we have to be robustly investing in a community mental health based system," Gundu said.
According to county records, 11 people have died in the jail so far this year. We've already surpassed the total for last year, which was ten deaths. In 2023, 19 people died, and in 2022, 27 people died in custody.
The family of Alexander said he would have been 63 on Monday. Instead of a birthday party, they're planning a funeral, but they're not letting their sorrow stop their effort to get answers in his death. The family sharing they are very close knit, and that Alexander was deeply loved.
ABC13 reached out to the sheriff's office, who said they will not comment because there is an ongoing investigation, but that they reported the death, the Texas rangers are investigating, and an autopsy will be conducted.
Earlier this year, the Harris County DA launched an initiative to divert people with mental health needs away from jail.
According to the DA's office, from January to June of this year, 566 people were given mental health services instead of being arrested. 265 people were sent to the DA's mental health program instead of facing charges, 218 people were diverted to the program while being processed into jail, and 83 people were sent as part of the court process.
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