Crime & Safety

Inmate Dies at Travis County Jail

Rene Martinez, 44, was found unresponsive at around 10:20 p.m. on Feb. 19 some 30 minutes after a visual check detected nothing abnormal.

AUSTIN, TX — A Travis County Jail inmate died on Wednesday after being found unresponsive in his cell, officials confirmed.

Rene Martinez, 44, was found unresponsive at around 10:20 p.m. on Feb. 19 some 30 minutes after a visual check detected nothing abnormal, a Travis County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said in a press advisory.

Jailers initiated CPR until medics took over the resuscitation efforts but the inmate ultimately was pronounced dead by 11:49 p.m. The sheriff's office said Martinez had been booked into the Travis County Jail Tuesday, Feb. 18, on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.

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An investigation by the sheriff's office, Texas Rangers, and Medical Examiner’s Office have een launched, as is customary with any death-in-custody incidents, the sheriff's office spokesperson said.

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