Female Inmate Dies In Banning Jail, 6th In RivCo Since Late April

BANNING, CA — An investigation was underway Tuesday into the death of a female inmate at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. The death follows five other inmate deaths reported since late April in Riverside County.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Cal Fire personnel responded to a housing unit in the correctional facility at 5:12 a.m. Monday to an unresponsive female inmate, the sheriff's department reported.

According to authorities, jail medical staff administered life-saving measures, but the inmate was pronounced dead at 5:52 a.m.

The cause of her death was not immediately known, but authorities say there was no sign of foul play.

Her name was withheld due to awaiting notification of next of kin.

The inmate death is the sixth reported in Riverside County in less than two months. In all the cases, a cause of death was being determined by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau but there were no signs of foul play in any of the incidents, the sheriff's department reported.

An inmate suffered an unspecified medical emergency and died May 26 at the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

The detainee, whose identity was not immediately released, was discovered unconscious in his cell at the southwest Riverside County jail about 5:40 p.m. Thursday, according to sheriff's Capt. David Holm.

Holm said correctional deputies and in-house medical personnel attempted life-saving measures until county fire paramedics reached the location, but all of the resuscitative efforts were for naught.

The inmate was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m.

On that same day in May, an inmate was pronounced dead at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, but foul play was not suspected.

Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputies were notified at 7:43 a.m May 26 about an unresponsive male inmate in his cell.

Custody and jail medical staff responded and administered life-saving measures. Fire department personnel and American Medical Response assisted further but were unsuccessful.

The inmate was pronounced dead at 8:15 a.m. His identity is pending.

Less than 10 days earlier, an inmate was pronounced dead May 17 at the Murrieta jail facility.

Justin Lee Kail, 31, of French Valley was discovered unresponsive in his cell at 8:37 a.m.

Despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead just before 9 a.m., according to the sheriff's department.

Abel Cruz, 75, of Norwalk was housed at Banning's Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and died May 1 after being transported to a local hospital on April 14 for unspecified medical treatment.

Alicia Upton, 21, of San Jacinto was being held at Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center when she was found unresponsive in her cell at 8:35 p.m. April 28. County jail staff performed life-saving measures, and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews continued the effort when they arrived at the jail, but the woman was ultimately pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m., the sheriff's department reported.

All four county jails are operated by the sheriff's department. While Cruz died at an area hospital, it's unclear whether any of the other inmates were alone in their cells.

—City News Service contributed to this report.