A 53-year-old woman was found dead while in sheriff’s custody at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee, officials said Saturday.
On Friday about 4:25 p.m., while deputies were serving dinner to inmates, they found the woman unresponsive in her cell. The deputies immediately requested medical assistance. The woman died around 4:35 p.m., officials said.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately identify the woman, pending family notification.
The woman had been in custody since Jan. 3 and was facing charges for assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and felony vandalism, according to the office.
“The San Diego Sheriff’s Office extends our sympathies to the decedent’s family and all those affected by her ing. A Sheriff’s Family Liaison Officer will the family as they navigate through this difficult time,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Sheriff’s officials said the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board, or CLERB, was notified of 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,” officials said.
Five people have died this year while in custody.
Officials said the Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death.
