JASPER, Ala. (WIAT) — As the investigation into the death of Anthony “Tony” Mitchell continues, CBS 42 is talking with his family for the first time. His cousin details the conversation he had with the Walker County Sheriff at the hospital the day Mitchell died.

The Mitchell family said after that personal conversation with the sheriff at the hospital and viewing videos of his time in jail they have more questions than answers.

It’s been over a month since the death of Anthony “Tony” Mitchell. He died while in custody of the Walker County Sheriff’s office in January.

“Tony was wonderful. If he really liked you, he’d crawl across a desert of glass for you,” Ethan Mitchell, Mitchell’s cousin, said.

Mitchell was arrested on Jan. 12 after a welfare check and booked on a charge of attempted murder. Two weeks later he died.

“Yes, I met Aunt Marge at the hospital. Wasn’t sure what to think in that moment but it just didn’t feel right,” Ethan Mitchell said.

Ethan Mitchell said his concerns began after his conversation at the hospital with Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith.

“I basically just asked right when I walked in ‘Is he alive?’ He told me that someone had informed him that morning that he was looking a little peckish, a little off color, and they thought he might be dehydrated, so they were going to take him to the doctor to get evaluated. Didn’t sit right with me,” Ethan Mitchell said.

After Mitchell’s death the sheriff’s office sent a statement saying he was “alert and conscious” when he left the jail.

About a week later, the family received a video showing his cousin Tony being carried out of the jail and put in a patrol car.

“And they deny it again even though there’s clear video evidence,” Mitchell siad.

The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Medical records with details of Mitchell’s condition when he arrived at the hospital, state he had a rectal temperature of 72 degrees and was cold to the touch.

“I have no medical background but 72 degrees sounds like they pulled him out of an avalanche in Alaska. Or that the place that he stayed for the whole, entire two weeks was so bad that a human could not survive in it,” Mitchell said.

In a motion to strike, attorney’s for the sheriff’s office said the allegations that he was placed in a freezer are “scandalous.”

If you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support, call the the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.