SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Over a year after his death, the family of a Chatham County inmate found unresponsive in his cell is filing a multi-million dollar civil rights lawsuit for his death.

Lee Michael Creely, 34, was arrested just days before his death for failing to change his address with his probation officer. Authorities say Creely was found dead on Sept. 6, 2020, during a routine check. After an internal investigation, one deputy was arrested and four others were fired for negligence surrounding Creely’s death.

“We wake up to this nightmare every single day and we want someone to be held accountable for him not being here,” his partner Jessica Hodges said.

Creely’s family held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to announce the lawsuit and discuss the results of their investigation into his death.

The lawsuit is against Chatham County and Correct Health LLC, the jail’s health care provider. In addition, 14 employees of both Collect Health and the jail are listed as defendants.

“When you deny inmates medical care year after year after year, people will die — and people have been dying here in the Chatham County Jail,” said attorney Will Claiborne.

There are four counts in the 30-page lawsuit, including wrongful death. The suit alleges Creely was denied access to appropriate medical care. Lawyers for the family said Creely was supposed to be receiving medication twice daily for drug withdrawal, claiming their yearlong investigation found it was administered only once in the four days he was in jail before his death.

It further alleges surveillance video and jail records show staff delivered meals to Creely’s cell after he was dead.

“Bringing profit into the system is the problem,” Claiborne. “The Chatham County Commission should immediately fire Correct Health and go back to a system where the healthcare is provided directly by the county and the profit motive is taken out of it.”

The family and lawyers believe the lawsuit is the only way to get accountability.

“I’m not the man I was before,” Lee’s father, Michael, said. “I never thought I’d bury my son. I don’t ever wanna see any mother, father, brother, sister, son go through this again.”

In January 2021, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Creely died from a fentanyl overdose.

WSAV News 3 contacted the county and sheriff’s department for a response; they both said they had no comment. We are waiting to hear back from Correct Health.