A male prisoner in Atlanta has been eaten alive by bed bugs, according to the lawyer of the bereaved family.

In a photo shared by Michael D Harper, Lashawn Thompson, who was jailed for a misdemeanor, had his body covered with bed bugs.

He is calling for a criminal investigation and told reporters a lawsuit is pending.

“Mr Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” Mr Harper said in a statement. “The jail cell Mr Thompson was housed in was not fit for a diseased animal. He did not deserve this.”

Lashawn Thompson was placed in the Fulton County Jail psychiatric wing after officials judged him mentally ill.

A Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report shows that Mr Thompson was found unresponsive in his jail cell on 19 September – three months after his arrest.

He was pronounced dead following attempts by local police and medical personnel to resuscitate him, according to USA Today.

Mr Harper says jail records show detention officers and medical staff noticed Mr Thompson was deteriorating but did nothing to administer aid or otherwise help him, BBC’s US media partner CBS News reported.

The medical examiner’s report said there was a “severe bed bug infestation” in his cell in the psychiatric ward but said there were no clear signs of trauma on Mr Thompson’s body.

The report listed the cause of death as undetermined.