29-year-old inmate found dead in cell at downtown Sacramento jail

Inmate held at Sacramento County Main Jail died early Saturday, sheriff's officials saidthe third death reported at the downtown facility since May.

The man, 29, was discovered around 2:15 a.m. by sheriff's jailers during a cell check, authorities said in a statement. Officers said they found the man unconscious in his cell in the prison's 5-East 300 module. Deputies assisted as jail medical personnel and Sacramento Fire Department personnel were called to attempt to resuscitate the man.

Their attempts were unsuccessful and firefighters pronounced the man dead. He had been held in jail since April 20, 2022. His name and the charges against him were not released by deputies. He is expected to be identified by Sacramento County coroner's officials pending notification of his family.

The sheriff's office said it would “conduct a thorough investigation into the death of an inmate in accordance with department procedures and state laws,” officials said in their Saturday statement.

The premature death of the inmate on Saturday in 5-East follows two deaths in the space of a week at the prison in early May. On May 5, police found a 45-year-old man unconscious in a cell used by inmates to detox from drugs.