Family Continues Search for Truth About Father's Death in Police Custody

The family of Francisco Vasquez, a man who died Aug. 8 in police custody, is trying to fill in the many blanks still surrounding the circumstances of his death.

• Catch up on this story: Family of Man Who Died in Police Custody Don’t Believe He Killed Himself

Vasquez and his family lived in Illinois for 20 years before moving to Leander, Texas, for his job. His children attended Downers Grove North High School.

Vasquez was arrested Aug. 8 for drunken driving, and he was later found unconscious in a holding cell in the booking area of the Williamson County Jail in Georgetown, Texas. The preliminary investigation said Vasquez died in an apparent suicide by asphyxiation, but the family doesn’t believe he killed himself.

A gofundme page has been set up “to help the Vasquez family with the costs of attorney fees in seeking the truth,” according to the page.

The legal fund had raised 18 percent of its $5,000 goal in eight hours.

Joanna Soto, Vasquez’s daughter, described her father as a selfless, passionate family man. She said he dearly loved his wife, his four children and his four young grandchildren.