Inmate Dies At County Jail In Unincorporated Murrieta Area

MURRIETA, CA — An inmate was pronounced dead Tuesday morning at the Cois Byrd Detention Center on the outskirts of Murrieta city limits, but foul play is not suspected in the man's death, authorities said.

The inmate, whose identity was not released, 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.

A cause of death will be determined by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Bureau, but there were no signs of foul play, the sheriff's department reported.

It's unclear whether the inmate was alone in the cell.

The inmate death is the third reported in the county jail system over the last month. A male inmate housed at Banning's Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility died May 1 after being transported to a local hospital on April 14 for unspecified medical treatment.

A female inmate at Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center 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.

Neither inmate was identified and the sheriff's department said foul play was not suspected in either case.

All three county jails are operated by the sheriff's department.