Woman found dead inside Sacramento jail cell after experiencing medical emergency
A 64-year-old woman who was incarcerated at the downtown Sacramento County Main Jail died Tuesday after experiencing a medical emergency, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Saturday evening.
The woman was discovered deceased in her bed during an early morning cell check, the release said. She had been in custody since March 2 on felony domestic violence charges.
“She was housed on the outpatient psychiatric floor and was awaiting transfer to a state hospital for a competency evaluation,” the release said. “The subject was not under a conservatorship and was a documented non-compliant patient even though she suffered from ongoing medical conditions that required daily medication.”
Officials do not believe COVID-19 or foul play was a factor in the death, the release said. The Sheriff’s Office will perform an investigation.
Officials are not releasing the woman’s identity until her next of kin are notified, the release said. The Coroner’s Office has not yet determined the cause of death.
The Sheriff’s Office announced the death four days after it occurred. Sgt. Rodney Grassmann, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, did not immediately respond to an email asking the reason for the delay.
As of August 2021, six men have died in the jail, but the Sheriff’s Office had only announced one, a Sacramento Bee analysis found at the time.
So far this year, three people have died while in custody — and one died hours after he was released earlier this month — according to the Sheriff’s Office.
