Printer-friendly version
East County News Service
August 31, 2025 (San Diego)—A 35-year-old man arrested Aug. 29 was found unresponsive in his cell yesterday afternoon at San Diego Central Jail and later died at a hospital. He was the seventh person to die in custody this year in a San Diego County detention facility.
According to the Sheriff’s department, several incarcerated persons in the jail notified deputies at 3:08 p.m. that the victim was in medical distress. Deputies found the man unresponsive in his cell and called 9-1-1. They requested additional help from the facility’s medical staff and began life-saving measures.
Paramedics and the San Diego Fire Department assumed lifesaving measures upon their arrival and the man was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at about 4:31 p.m.
The man had been in Sheriff's custody since August 29 and was facing charges for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.
Like the other six in-custody deaths this year, the deceased was awaiting trial and had not been convicted when he died.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of family.
The Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) has been notified regarding the incident. As is the protocol for all in-custody deaths, the Sheriff's Homicide Unit responded and is conducting a thorough investigation to ensure all aspects of this incident are examined. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office.
“The San Diego Sheriff's Office extends our sympathies to the decedent's family and all those affected by his passing. A Sheriff's Family Liaison Officer will support the family as they navigate through this difficult time,” says Lieutenant Juan Marquez with the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit.
The Sheriff’s Office has drawn scrutiny and criticism for San Diego County’s high number of jail deaths for the past decade. At least 148 people have died in custody from 2015 through 2025, according to data on the Sheriff’s website. Causes range from drug overdoses to violence in jails to underlying medical conditions and suicides.
The death toll peaked in 2021 and 2022 at 18 and 19, respectively, with numbers of deaths per year ranging from 11 to 15 in the prior six years under Gore’s watch. Gore resigned in Feb. 2022, when Martinez was appointed; she later won election as Sheriff.
Since then, deaths have dipped with 11 in 2023, 9 in 2022, and 7 so far this year.
Recent comments