ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — A small container with suspected fentanyl pills inside was found in the throat of a man who died after becoming unresponsive while being processed for release from the Adams County Detention Center earlier this month, the sheriff's office said Tuesday.
The 64-year-old man was booked into the jail on Sept. 7 around 10:39 p.m. on an active warrant. The sheriff's office said previously that the man was met in the booking area by a deputy and a medical staff member as a part of the standard intake procedure. The nurse assigned to the booking process took the man's vital signs and completed a medical questionnaire with him.
As a part of that process, it was learned that due to a medical condition, the man needed a wheelchair, which was provided, the sheriff's office said. Shortly before midnight, the man became unresponsive. At the time, he was seated in that wheelchair in a holding cell while in the process of posting bond.
Deputies noticed the man's condition and called for medical assistance. They began CPR and provided Narcan, a medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, as a precaution.
The man was pronounced dead at 12:05 a.m. on Sept. 8, according to the sheriff's office.
During an autopsy, a small object was found in the man's throat. It measured 2.5 centimeters by 2.5 centimeters, and inside it, multiple suspected fentanyl pills were discovered and collected as evidence, the sheriff's office said.
As part of the internal investigation, body-worn camera footage and in-car camera footage from the man's initial contact, arrest, and transport to the jail were reviewed.
The sheriff's office said the footage shows the man reaching into the front of his pants while being transported to the detention facility. At 10:29 p.m., he's seen in the video placing something into his mouth. A few minutes later, the man was escorted into the jail to begin the booking process.
The sheriff's office investigation is ongoing. The coroner’s office will release their own report once their death investigation is completed.
The man's death comes not long after four women overdosed at the jail on Aug. 22. Deputies administered Narcan and performed CPR and other life-saving measures to revive the women, who were unconscious when deputies arrived, the sheriff's office said.
All four inmates were taken to the hospital. The sheriff's office said previously that two were still being treated at the hospital and the other two were released and back at the jail.
Suspected fentanyl powder was found and collected as evidence, the sheriff's office said.
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