72-Year-Old Inmate At Elmwood Identified As Apparent Suicide

MILPITAS - An inmate who died in an apparent suicide at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas late last month has been identified as 72-year-old Andy Hsin-Tsao Fan, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.

Fan fell down from a second tier at the men's facility around 6 a.m. on April 29, sheriff's officials said.

The inmate was given medical care at the scene and was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff's office.

The death has been classified as a possible suicide based on a note Fan left behind and witness interviews, sheriff's officials said.

Fan was kept in a general population dormitory and had been in custody since Jan. 3, when Milpitas police arrested him on suspicion of corporal injury on a spouse or domestic partner and assault with a deadly weapon, sheriff's officials said.

The death is being investigated by the sheriff's office and reviewed by the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has also been notified, sheriff's officials said.

-Bay City News, image via Patch archives