Inmate identified who died at near Elk Grove — fourth death at sheriff’s facilities in two months
An incarcerated man died Friday night at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center near Elk Grove — the fourth inmate death under the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in the last two months.
Around 11:15 pm, deputies were alerted to a 41-year-old male inmate needing assistance, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi. The deputies found the unresponsive inmate, pulled him outside of the cell and administered first aid. Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department personnel later arrived and continued life-saving efforts but the inmate was pronounced dead.
The man had been taken into custody for a felony warrant March 28 by Sacramento Police Department officers.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office, which is investigating the death, identified the man as Juan Angel Rodriguez, 41.
The man was the fourth inmate to die while in Sacramento sheriff’s custody in the last eight weeks. The three other inmate deaths occurred on May 5, May 12 and June 8 at the downtown Main Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office and previous Bee reporting.
Understaffing was listed in reports last year as a factor in inmate deaths. As a result of the low staff levels, Sacramento County is violating a 2019 federal class action settlement that provides requirements for the jail to improve medical and mental health care for inmates.
With the latest death, a total of 29 inmates have died in Sacramento jail facilities since the start of 2021.
This story was originally published June 29, 2024 at 12:46 PM.
