A woman was found Friday dead in her Long Beach City Jail cell, where she'd been booked Thursday afternoon on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear, the Long Beach Police Department said.
The deceased was in her 40s but her name was not released by the police, who said her family had not yet been reached, according to a press announcement emailed by department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt.
Asked whether her misdemeanor warrant was for criminal or civil charges, Pratt said they stemmed from the woman's failure to appear in court.
Police said the woman arrived at the Long Beach Police Department about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
"The female came to the police facility yelling and screaming, and when officers contacted her to see if something was wrong, she indicated she wanted to come inside," the announcement reads. "During a routine warrant check, officers discovered she had outstanding misdemeanor warrants and was taken into custody. She was booked without incident and placed in a cell within the Women's Jail. During jail rounds throughout the night, nothing unusual relating to the female's condition was noted."
During breakfast delivery about 5:15 a.m. Friday, jail staff found the woman unresponsive and summoned a doctor, who declared her dead, police said.
The L.A. County Coroner will determine the cause of her death and the District Attorney will investigate the in-custody death as is customary, the department said.
Read more here: http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/press/display.asp?layout=4&Entry=4284
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