Girlfriend of man who died in San Marcos police custody speaks out

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas - A New Braunfels woman is raising a newborn by herself after the father died in police custody. It happened earlier this month in San Marcos.

"He's got his nose. His eyes. His cheeks," Lively Mills said.

But Grid Ryan Thornton has never met the man he resembles, his father, Dennis Ryan Thornton.

"I wish you could have met your dad," Mills said.

Mills described him as funny, a family man, artistic, loved music, food, and cooking, and he swept her off her feet.

Picture of Dennis and Grid Ryan Thornton (Lively Mills)

On the morning of August 6, Mills and Thornton went together to her doctor’s appointment in New Braunfels.

"I knew something was wrong, like, really wrong," Mills said. "As we walk into the hospital, his eyes aren't tracking, they can't hold me, and I'm having to repeat myself several times."

Mills said she told Thornton to stay downstairs because he didn’t want to go into the doctor’s office, and she went upstairs for her appointment. Mills said before she walked in, she told the receptionist she’d like someone to check on Thornton.

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"I thought we're in the safest place possible. We're in the hospital. If anything goes wrong, you're right here. I thought I did the right thing by having eyes on him when my eyes couldn't be on him," Mills said.

When Mills left her appointment, police told her they couldn’t find Thornton.

"I'm like, okay, that's not abnormal. Throughout the year that I've known him and particularly the six months leading up to this, sometimes Ryan just needed quiet, and he would always reach out," Mills said.

But he never did.

Picture of Lively Mills and Dennis Thornton (Lively Mills)

San Marcos police said when they eventually found him, he was on I-35 on an overpass on Posy Road after multiple callers told them a man was running in and out of traffic and acting erratically. 

The officer who approached Thornton said they asked for his name. He responded with incomprehensible noises, then charged at the officer. Thornton was tased and eventually put in a full body wrap restraint.

"Why wasn't EMS called? Why wasn't he given water? If he truly was not audible?" Mills asked.

Officers took Thornton to a local hospital. His body temperature was 108 degrees. Thorton died at around 8:30 p.m.

About 24 hours later, Grid was born.

"He is the greatest blessing that he left me with," Mills said.

A GoFundMe has been created to help Lively during this difficult time. 

This in-custody death is being investigated by the San Marcos Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and Officer of Professional Conduct and the Texas Rangers.