An inmate housed at a Santa Ana intake center was found dead in his cell on Saturday morning, officials confirmed.
The Newport Beach Police Department arrested and booked the man into jail on July 9, 2024, for driving under the influence as well as a probation violation, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
On Feb. 1, deputies found the inmate – only identified as a 44-year-old man – unresponsive in his cell in Module J of the Intake Release Center.
“His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin by the Orange County Coroner’s Division,” officials said in a press release.
The sheriff’s department said deputies, correctional medical staff, and crews from the Orange County Fire Authority attempted life-saving measures but ultimately pronounced the inmate dead at 8:54 a.m.
“Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances,” stated the press release. “A final cause of death will be determined following toxicology testing and an independent autopsy.”
The sheriff’s department did not immediately provide further information on the inmate’s death.
Details are limited, but officials said the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the incident, and the sheriff’s department will conduct an in-custody death review.
