Inmate, 43, dies in Sacramento jail six days after booking. Man was in detoxification cell

A man died Saturday after six days in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail, the third inmate to die at the downtown facility this year.

The 43-year-old man was taken into custody July 2 by Elk Grove Police Department officers, according to Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi. He was booked on felony charges including kidnapping, domestic violence and terrorist threats, deputies said.

The man was housed in a detoxification cell with a cellmate, according to law enforcement.

Around 6 p.m. Saturday, the man’s cellmate pressed the cell’s emergency button and alerted deputies that the man appeared to not be breathing, Gandhi said.

Authorities said that deputies and jail medical staff began life-saving measures. Sacramento Fire Department personnel arrived and pronounced the inmate dead.

Homicide detectives with the Sheriff’s Office do not believe foul play was involved, Gandhi said.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office is investigating the death and will release the man’s name after family is notified, Gandhi said.

A 35-year-old inmate died in April after being found unresponsive in the jail’s booking area. Last week, the family of Delion Johnson filed a lawsuit against the county over his death, saying jailers failed to properly search Johnson, who had possessed an “illicit substance.”

In January, a 52-year-old inmate was found unresponsive in his cell and later died at the hospital.

Findings from the investigations of each incident from the Sheriff’s Office and the Coroner’s Office have not been announced.

This story was originally published July 9, 2023 at 12:15 PM.