Three people who were incarcerated at the Montgomery County jail died this week within 48 hours in unrelated incidents, authorities said in a news release.
The individuals were not identified by name, gender or age.
Officials from the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation said that two of the people died at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring and one was pronounced dead at the jail. All three experienced medical events, the news release said, and a “preliminary review” of each case by Montgomery County police did not “reveal signs of foul play.”
“Obviously, our concern goes out to the families of these individuals. And we’re very interested in reviewing our medical procedures,” said Earl Stoddard, an assistant chief administrative officer for the county. “At this point, there is nothing apparent to us that procedures or protocols were out of the ordinary. …. They look like unrelated-to-each-other medical episodes.”
Two people died on Jan. 10.
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The first, who had been jailed in the facility’s medical unit, had been found unresponsive on the afternoon of Jan. 9, according to the news release. Officials said nurses and jail staff “performed life-saving measures” and the county fire and rescue took the person to Holy Cross. While there, officials said, the person had a “significant medical event” and died hours later.
The police department’s homicide unit interviewed jail staff and collected evidence, according to the news release, and found no immediate signs of foul play. A medical examiner will determine the person’s cause of death.
The second person had been hospitalized at Holy Cross since Jan. 3 and died a week later. Officials said in the news release that jail records show the individual had a “significant medical diagnosis” and that a medical autopsy will be conducted.
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The third person died on Jan. 11, about 30 minutes after a “medical emergency was called” in one of the jail’s housing units, officials said. Jail staff performed lifesaving measures until fire and rescue workers arrived, the news release said. The person was pronounced dead at the jail.
The police department’s homicide unit returned to the jail for the second time in as many days and found no initial signs of foul play. A medical examiner will determine cause of death in that case, too.
“First and foremost, we extend our condolences to the families on their loss,” county corrections officials said in a statement. “... Many correctional systems are experiencing a significant increase in those who have acute and chronic medical conditions that become involved in our criminal justice system.”
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