SANTEE, Calif. (KGTV) — The San Diego County Sheriff's Department says an inmate at the Las Colinas Detention Facility died in its custody Wednesday afternoon.
According to deputies, 63-year-old Patricia Louise Adamson was the inmate found dead at the jail around 1 p.m. on May 3, 2023.
"We extend our sympathies to the Adamson family and those affected by this death. A Sheriff's Family Liaison Officer will support the family as they deal with the loss of a loved one," the department's press release says.
Adamson had been at the Las Colinas Detention Facility since Feb. 13, when she was arrested and booked on a felony vandalism charge, deputies say. She did not have a permanent residence and told deputies she was homeless in the city of San Diego.
On Wednesday, a sheriff's department lieutenant noticed during a well-being check that Adamson had poor hygiene and wasn't taking care of her self. Deputies gave her the chance to shower as her housing area was cleaned, and a doctor helped them get her to the shower area via a wheelchair.
Adamson started having a medical episode as they reached the showers, and the group tried to save her life, the sheriff's department says. Paramedics responded immediately, but Adamson was pronounced dead, the release says.
The sheriff's homicide unit responded and will investigate the inmate death thoroughly, the department says.
"The cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office," the press release says.
The sheriff's department says the Citizen's Law Enforcement Review Board representative was told about the inmate's death, and they showed up at the jail.
