Orange County authorities are investigating after an inmate died inside his cell at a Santa Ana facility.
The 55-year-old inmate, who has yet to be identified, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana Monday afternoon.
He had been in custody since his arrest by Anaheim police in April 2024 on charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, assault with a deadly weapon and hit-and-run with injury.
Deputies and jail staff attempted life-saving measures after discovering the inmate alone in his cell, officials said. His exact cause of death will be determined following an independent autopsy and toxicology report.
Both the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Department will conduct their own investigations into the inmate’s death. No further information will be released until that point, officials said.
The Intake Release Center processes individuals booked into and released from the Orange County Jail system. It provides medical and mental health screenings, classification and records processing, with much of its housing dedicated to inmates requiring acute mental health care, its website states.