An inmate in the Mendocino County Jail died this week after being found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday evening, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office reported.
In a press release, the MCSO Corrections Division reported that around 8:30 p.m. Oct. 29, a "Corrections Deputy was performing a routine safety check on two pre-housed adult male individuals inside a holding cell inside (the Main Jail and) noticed both individuals were laying on the floor in different areas of the holding cell and appeared to be asleep."
However, "after constant visual observation for a brief time, the Corrections Deputy became concerned about one of the individuals," then entered the cell with an additional deputy to check on the inmate, quickly determining that "the individual was unresponsive" and did not have a pulse and was not breathing.
The MCSO reports that the deputies then immediately issued a "radio broadcast of a medical emergency, which prompted response of additional corrections and on-site Naphcare medical personnel, (who) began immediate lifesaving efforts which included CPR, and use of an AED (automated external defibrillator) while outside medical services were being requested."
Once personnel from the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority arrived, they "continued with additional advanced forms of lifesaving efforts (while) corrections personnel continued providing CPR assistance during this time for an extended period," which the MCSO reports "resulted in the individual regaining a pulse."
The inmate was then transported to the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Emergency Department "where further advanced lifesaving efforts were continually provided after admittance, (but) these ongoing advanced lifesaving efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased" on Oct. 30 at approximately 12:14 a.m.
The MCSO notes that its detectives are "conducting investigations in connection with the Mendocino County Fatal Incident Protocol," and that the MCSO "Coroner's Unit is conducting a coroner's investigation into the cause and manner of the individual's death. A forensic autopsy on the individual was performed on 10-30-2024 and the official result of that autopsy is pending BA/Toxicology analysis at this time."
When asked Friday morning if the name of the deceased individual could be released, MCSO spokesman for the Corrections Division, Capt. Greg Van Patten said that the man's next of kin had not yet been notified of his death and therefore his name was still being withheld.