Multnomah County Jail Investigating Death of 71-Year-Old Man in Custody

MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. — The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 71-year-old man who was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday morning at the Multnomah County Detention Center.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on August 18, deputies assigned to the detention center responded to a medical emergency involving the man. Deputies and Multnomah County Corrections Health personnel immediately began lifesaving measures.

Portland Fire & Rescue and American Medical Response paramedics also responded and continued providing medical care. Despite those efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene by AMR paramedics.

The man entered Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office custody on August 14 after being booked into the jail by the Portland Police Bureau.

Following standard protocol for an in-custody death, MCSO detectives responded to the detention center. The East County Major Crimes Team is conducting the investigation, while the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office is leading the death investigation.

The man’s identity has not been released pending notification of his family.

The medical examiner’s investigation will include an autopsy and toxicology analysis. Officials said additional information regarding how and why the man died will be released after that investigation is completed.

The East County Major Crimes Team includes detectives from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Port of Portland Police Department, Gresham Police Department and Oregon State Police.

The sheriff’s office said its policies and procedures governing in-custody deaths are being followed as investigators work to conduct a thorough investigation.

No additional information was immediately available. Officials noted that the investigation remains preliminary and details could change as more information becomes available.

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