ORANGE, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2026) – On Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died.
The 24-year-old inmate, Edson Israel Rosasmedrano, was booked by the Santa Ana Police Department on Feb. 19, 2026, for VC 10851 Vehicle Theft, PC 496d(a) Receiving a Stolen Vehicle, and PC 148 Obstructing or Resisting a Peace Officer.
On Feb. 22, while housed at the Theo Lacy Facility, Rosasmedrano was found unresponsive. Deputies and County Medical Services personnel attempted life-saving measures. Members of the Orange County Fire Authority pronounced Rosasmedrano deceased. 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.
History of Inmate Deaths in Orange County
In-custody deaths occur with some regularity in Orange County jails, averaging approximately one death per month over the last decade. Between 2010 and 2021, at least 119 people died while incarcerated in the county’s jail system.
Recent Frequency and Statistics
- 2025-2026 Trend: There were at least 8 deaths in 2025. So far in 2024 and 2025, the Theo Lacy Facility specifically has seen multiple incidents, including the death of David N. Alcazar in August 2025 and Anthony Creston Brown in December 2024.
- Historical Highs: 2021 saw a record high of 18 deaths in OC jails.
- Timing After Booking: A significant pattern in these deaths is their proximity to the initial arrest. Nearly half of the 119 deaths reviewed in a recent ACLU report occurred within one month of booking, with 35 of those individuals dying within their first week in custody.
Common Causes and Investigations
While the Orange County Sheriff’s Department often attributes these deaths to “life choices” such as pre-existing medical conditions or substance use, external reports from the ACLU of Southern California and the Orange County Grand Jury have cited systemic issues:
- Medical Neglect: Failures in the initial “triage” process and delays in medical treatment.
- Leading Causes: The most frequent causes across Southern California jails are natural causes (45%), drug overdoses (22%), and suicides (14%).
- Lack of Accountability: Investigations by the Orange County District Attorney focus strictly on criminal culpability; historically, they have not found the Sheriff’s Department at fault for these deaths.
You can track independent reviews of these incidents through the Orange County Office of Independent Review (OIR), which provides public reports on custodial deaths.