July 19, 2007

Inmate death in King County Jail

A King County jail inmate died this morning, Thursday, July 19, after being found unresponsive in his bed in the jail infirmary during a routine check at 7:26 a.m.

Jail Health medical staff and Medic One were called to perform CPR, but revival attempts were unsuccessful. The inmate was declared dead at 7:50 a.m. and had been booked in the jail since July 16th.

The deceased was an adult male. Due to federal privacy laws, information about the inmate’s medical condition cannot be released. The King County Medical Examiner’s will release cause and manner of death, as well as identity of the individual as part of its standard protocol. State law requires that the King County Medical Examiner conduct an autopsy on all in-custody deaths.

As with any in-custody death, protocol requires a thorough investigation by the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention and an independent investigation by the Seattle Police Department.