Infant born prematurely to Orange County Jail inmate dies

SANTA ANA, Ca. – An in-custody death of an infant occurred at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, CA on September 27.

On September 19, a pregnant inmate housed at the Orange County Jail’s Intake and Release Center was transferred to OC Global Medical Center for medical care.

The morning of September 27, the inmate gave birth prematurely at the hospital. The child was pronounced deceased at approximately noon.

An autopsy will be conducted by an outside, independent pathologist. The official cause of death is pending the results of the pathologist’s findings. The identity of the inmate will not be released at this time.

The inmate was booked into Orange County Jail on September 16, 2021 for assault on a peace officer.

The in-custody death will be investigated by the Orange County District Attorney’s office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will complete an in-custody death review.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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