ORANGE, Calif. – On Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died at a local hospital.
The 31-year-old inmate, Dennis Gomez, was remanded by the courts to the custody of the Sheriff and booked on Feb. 2, 2026, for PC 594 Vandalism and PC 186.22 Criminal Street Gang Enhancement.
On Feb. 7, while housed at the Theo Lacy Facility, Gomez was found unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital.
At approximately 2:00 p.m. the same day, he was pronounced deceased at the hospital. Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances.
A final cause of death will be determined following an independent autopsy and toxicology.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the in-custody death. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct an in-custody death review. No additional information will be released at this time.
Orange County Inmate Deaths
In Orange County, in-custody deaths occur at a rate of approximately 8 to 12 per year, based on recent trends. The death of Dennis Gomez on February 7, 2026, marks an early instance in 2026, following at least 8 reported deaths in 2025.
Frequency and Timing
- Historical Average: Between 2010 and 2021, at least 119 people died in Orange County jails.
- Immediate Vulnerability: Gomez died five days after his February 2 booking. Statistics show this is a high-risk period; nearly half of OC jail deaths occur within the first month of booking, and about 30% occur within the first week.
- Recent Totals: Annual deaths fluctuated from 8 in 2019 to a peak of 12 in 2020. By October 2025, the county had recorded 8 deaths for that year.
Leading Factors and Causes
While preliminary reports for Gomez indicate “no suspicious circumstances,” broader investigations into Orange County jail deaths identify several recurring factors:
- Medical and Intake Failures: Advocacy reports from the ACLU of Southern California cite issues with the “triage” process during booking, leading to medical neglect or untreated chronic conditions.
- Substance Use and Withdrawal: Many deaths are linked to drug overdoses (particularly fentanyl) or complications from untreated withdrawal.
- Mental Health and Suicide: Suicide remains the second leading cause of death in California jails. High-stress environments and inadequate psychiatric monitoring are often cited as contributing factors.
- “Natural Causes”: This remains the most common official designation, though critics argue it often masks preventable health declines caused by jail conditions.