Woman found dead inside Lake County jail cell, police say
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) – The Lake County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a woman is found dead inside her cell Friday afternoon.
Around 2:30 p.m., a Lake County corrections officer was conducting routine rounds in the jail's medical pod when they observed the inmate, a 24-year-old woman of Grand Prairie, Texas, on the bed of the cell with her eyes closed.
The officer noticed the woman's chest was not rising. That's when they opened the cell's door and found her unresponsive and without a pulse, according to Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The officer initiated a medical emergency response and called an ambulance.
Officers performed CPR and utilized an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), on the inmate until paramedics arrived.
She was transported to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan, where she was pronounced dead.
The inmate was in custody since July 1 on charges of aggravated battery to a child.
The inmate was recently found unfit to stand trial and the jail was waiting for space to become available at the Illinois Department of Human Services, so she could be transferred for fitness restoration treatment, Covelli said.
While awaiting transport, the inmate was assigned to a single-inmate cell pod.
The inmate's cell door was closed and there were no other inmates in the vicinity. Rounds were conducted at least 30 minutes prior to this incident and at that time and the inmate appeared okay, Covelli said.
The inmate had numerous underlying health conditions and did not appear to be any suspicious marks or injuries on the woman's body.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Lake County Coroner's Office on Monday. The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is also conducting an independent investigation.