Man found dead in San Diego central jail

A 44-year-old man being held in the San Diego Central Jail downtown died in custody Sunday morning, officials said.

The man was discovered unresponsive in his cell at 7:05 a.m. by deputies performing their routine duties, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. The name of the man who died was not released.

“Upon observing the situation, the deputies immediately activated 9-1-1, requested additional assistance from the facility’s medical staff, and began life-saving measures,” sheriff’s Lt. Juan Marquez said in a statement. “Paramedics and the San Diego Fire Department assumed lifesaving measures upon their arrival. Despite their efforts, the individual was pronounced deceased at the detention facility at about 7:35 a.m.”

The man had been in custody since Nov. 8 and was being held on suspicion of shoplifting, with priors, officials said.

“The San Diego Sheriff’s Office extends our sympathies to the decedent’s family and all those affected by his passing,” Marquez said in the statement.

The Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board has been notified of the death. A sheriff’s family liaison officer will support the man’s family.

Sheriff’s homicide investigators will investigate the in-custody death, which is office protocol. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the county Medical Examiner’s Office.

San Diego County jails have faced scrutiny for years from the media, auditors and civil rights attorneys. The crisis peaked in 2022, when 20 people died in custody, including one man who died just after being granted what’s known as a compassionate release. That same year, a state audit found serious and deadly lapses in care.

Thirteen people died in custody in 2023, nine in 2024 and 10 so far this year.