SAN DIEGO – A man in custody at the San Diego Central Jail died Sunday morning, marking the tenth in-custody death in San Diego County for 2025.
The 44-year-old man was discovered unresponsive in his cell around 7 a.m. on November 16, according to the San Diego County Sheriff‘s office. Deputies promptly initiated life-saving measures. Paramedics and the San Diego Fire Department continued those efforts upon arrival, but the individual was pronounced deceased at the detention facility at approximately 7:35 a.m.
The man had been held at the jail since November 8, facing shoplifting charges. Authorities are withholding his identity pending notification of his family.
“The San Diego Sheriff’s Office extends our sympathies to the decedent’s family and all those affected by his passing,” stated Lt. Juan Marquez of the Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
The Citizen’s Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) has been informed, and the death will be investigated by Sheriff’s homicide investigators. The Medical Examiner’s office will determine the cause of death. this incident follows a pattern of in-custody deaths in San Diego County jails, prompting increased scrutiny and calls for improved oversight.Clarity reports detailing in-custody deaths are available on the Sheriff’s Office website.
