Investigation underway after female inmate found dead inside Riverside County jail cell

RIVERSIDE, Calif., — Authorities say a female inmate being housed at a Riverside County jail facility has died after being found unresponsive in her cell Thursday evening, April 28.

Officials this morning said that although foul play is not suspected in the woman’s death, her actual cause of death has not been determined, pending a post-mortem.

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At around 8:35 p.m., deputies assigned to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department-Robert Presley Detention Center found an unresponsive female inmate inside one of the housing cells within the facility, RSO Correctional Captain Victoria Varisco-Flores said today.

“Custody staff and jail medical staff immediately administered life-saving measures. Cal-Fire personnel responded and continued life-saving measures,” Varisco-Flores explained, adding that despite life-saving measures, the woman passed away and was pronounced deceased at 9:12 p.m.

The woman’s name has not been released pending notification of her family, and her cause of death will be determined at a later time by the Coroner’s Bureau.

After the woman’s passing, Department investigators responded and assumed the investigation.

Officials have not said why the woman was in custody or how long she had been incarcerated at the facility.

Although the Captain said that there were no signs of foul play in the woman’s death, citing the early and ongoing nature of the investigation, she declined to provide any further details at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to call Investigator Galapir at (951) 955-0156. Callers can refer to incident file number RC221180005 and can remain anonymous.



Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.