Editor’s note: This story discusses self-harm. If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24-hour support at 988.
Multnomah County disclosed the cause of one jail death and released medical examiner records for two additional jail deaths Aug. 18, following a successful public records appeal filed by Street Roots.
A 31-year-old person died of an esophageal ulcer in the Multnomah County Detention Center, or MCDC, May 13, after only three days in custody, according to medical examiner records. Reports in the cases of two prisoners who took their own lives, according to the medical examiner — causes of death previously reported — offer new information about the manner of their deaths.
The medical examiner determined none of the three deaths were drug-related, and there are currently no confirmed drugs found in any of the decedents’ cells.
Street Roots is electing not to publish the names of the decedents pending contact with the families.
The additional information on the three deaths came after Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt ordered Multnomah County to release medical examiner records about the first three deaths in county custody this year on Aug. 10. Medical examiner files on the fourth death in county custody remain exempt — likely temporarily — from public disclosure due to pending toxicology results.
Street Roots initially requested medical examiner reports July 6 after four prisoners died in Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office custody in less than eight weeks between May 2 and June 21, outpacing the total number of deaths in 2021 and 2022. The county denied Street Roots’ request, citing a conditional public record exemption for medical examiner files. Street Roots appealed the denial to the Multnomah County District Attorney, citing high public interest in disclosure due to the recent spike in in-custody deaths. Schmidt ruled in favor of Street Roots on all but one case in which the cause of death is still pending.
Two additional county jail prisoners died since July 6, when Street Roots filed the original request. Street Roots filed a public record request for the two most recent deaths after Schmidt issued the order Aug. 10.
Cause of death
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner determined the 31-year-old prisoner died of an esophageal ulcer following an investigation. While toxicology reports confirmed the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine, the medical examiner reported the cause of death was not likely drug-related.
“Given the concentrations at which these drugs were detected, and (the decedent’s) history of chronic substance use, it is unlikely that acute drug toxicity contributed to (the) death,” the medical examiner determined.
The decedent was found inside their cell during a routine check.
Additional information released shows a 58-year-old prisoner in Inverness Jail, who died June 16, hanged themself in the shower. The medical examiner noted the cell walls were decorated with various coloring pages, inspirational quotes and posters above the sink and multiple cups with colored pencils were located on the floor.
The cell block where the prisoner was found is reserved for prisoners with special privileges for good behavior and is not under 24-hour surveillance. Deputies told the medical examiner the decorations and colored pencils were not allowed in the cell.
The medical examiner's report noted a camera was in the cell but was covered by a styrofoam box. A white powder was observed on a table next to the decedent’s bed, but toxicology reports showed the only drug found in the person’s system was gabapentin — a non-narcotic medication used to treat seizures, nerve pain, and in some cases, anxiety.
A 26-year-old prisoner took their own life May 2 by placing a plastic bag over their head, according to the medical examiner. A deputy found the prisoner in their cell at 12:22 a.m. and immediately began rendering aid, according to medical examiner reports. The deputy called an ambulance five minutes later, at 12:27 a.m., and medics arrived at 12:37 a.m.
The prisoner was in a unit with 24-hour watch and 30-minute checks. The medical examiner noted they suffered from frequent suicidal ideation and multiple past attempts to take their own life, and toxicology reports found two antidepressants and an antihistamine. No illicit drugs were found, according to the medical examiner.
Street Roots asked MCSO for confirmation on the white powder found in a cell, how long the camera was covered before the decedent was discovered, what routine medical examinations a person undergoes when they are booked into jail, and supervision protocols for a person at risk of taking their own life.
At the time of publication, MCSO had not responded to questions from Street Roots. This story will be updated.
Background, county response
The recent spate of Multnomah County jail deaths drew increasing attention over the last two months, with the most recent death being a 36-year-old MCDC prisoner Aug. 1. Jail officials have yet to offer an explanation for the sudden rash of deaths but have said they’re unrelated to one another.
“There is currently no reason to believe that these deaths are connected,” MCSO spokesperson Christina Kempster told Street Roots last month. “Death investigations are underway for each individual case, and we await definitive findings for cause and manner of death from the medical examiner’s office.”
While the county has not disclosed the cause of death in every case, nor offered an explanation for why so many deaths happened in such a short time, questions have arisen over staffing, how drugs are brought into jails and who is best suited to watch a prisoner deemed a threat to themselves.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office requested Oregon State Police “conduct an independent review of all adult in custody death investigations that occurred this year,” according to an Aug. 9 statement by Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell.
“Their review will focus on ensuring that our investigative processes are thorough and complete,” Morrisey O’Donnell said in the statement. “It is not uncommon for OSP to receive requests for and to provide this type of support to Oregon sheriff's offices.”
The National Institute of Corrections accepted the sheriff’s office request for an “independent assessment of (its) facilities, operations, policies and services,” Aug. 7, Morrisey O’Donnell also said in the statement.
Court records show five decedents were still awaiting trial or had not otherwise entered a guilty plea, all on felony charges, Street Roots reported Aug. 3. Three people died at Inverness Jail in Northeast Portland, and the other three died in the MCDC. Two-thirds of the decedents were 36 years old or younger.
Increased attention placed on the jail deaths resulted in multiple Multnomah County commissioners offering public comment, including Commissioner Lori Stegmann.
“I am deeply concerned about the alarming rate of deaths of adults in custody,” Stegmann told Street Roots last month. “We are actively working with MCSO and the Health Department to better understand the circumstances and learn how we can better support individuals in our custody.”
Since Stegmann’s comment to Street Roots, county commissioners have inspected the MCDC and Inverness jails as part of their legally required two jail visits per year. Commissioner Sharon Meieran, a medical doctor, said jail inspections are necessary, but the planned nature of the tours is not an ideal way to get a sense of jail conditions, in an Aug. 10 interview with Street Roots.
Regardless of potential challenges with health care staffing, mental health crises or drug-related incidences in Multnomah County jails, Meieran said the recent deaths in county jails are a serious problem.
“This is unacceptable, period,” Meieran said. “There's no arguing that. It's horrifying.”
To improve safety in its jails, the county is looking at practices around mental health and addiction treatment in jails, increasing resources to keep people out of jails in the first place and ensuring corrections health care providers and MSCO are fully staffed, according to commissioners.
Multnomah County Corrections Health Director Myque Obiero said corrections health staffing numbers do not offer an excuse for substandard care.
“Staffing will never really be a reason to not engage in community level of health care,” Obiero said. “We really pride ourselves in the care that we provide. Regardless of the volume of people that we see come through the jails, we are obligated to provide them the best care possible.”
Corrections health is provided by the Multnomah County Health Department and operates independently of MCSO to provide medical, mental health, dental and other care to prisoners.
Obiero said longer stays for prisoners already experiencing challenges outside of jails create new challenges for corrections health staff.
“There’s a mandate for society to have an alternative to jails,” he said. “A lot of the folks shouldn’t be in jail, and if that was the case, then yeah, you wouldn’t have the staff fatigue, you wouldn’t have all of these other things that come with it.”
Obiero said access to stronger health care within the community would help divert people from jail in the first place.
“Unfortunately, we end up being a default safety net as a jail, we shouldn’t be, but we are because the system is set up as such.”
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
© 2023 Street Roots. All rights reserved. | To request permission to reuse content, email editor@streetroots.org or call 503-228-5657, ext. 404