Two Bexar County Jail inmates died in two days, both of apparent medical issues

Editor's note: This story was updated to include the correct number of Bexar County Jail deaths tabulated by the Texas Justice Initiative.

Two inmates were found dead in their cells at Bexar County Jail over two days' time, according to the Express-News .

Duane Ventimiglia, 40, and Francisco Javier Salinas, 41, both died after suffering medical episodes, the daily reports, citing officials with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO). Authorities reported Ventimiglia's death Thursday and Salinas' the following day.

Ventimiglia was locked up on criminal trespass charges and scheduled to appear for a hearing the day he was discovered, the paper reports. His bond had been lowered to $25 from $1,000.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office is expected to determine Ventimiglia's precise cause of death. However, jail officials told the Express-News the man appeared to have succumbed to complications from a history of substance abuse.

Salinas, who'd been jailed on a misdemeanor assault charge, had a "history of several chronic conditions" requiring constant care, the sheriff's office told the daily. BCSO authorities said they were aware of his medical issues at intake.

Jail officials said Salinas appeared to have experienced a medical episode while in his cell, which worsened by withdrawal symptoms, according to the report.

In a statement supplied to the Express-News , Sheriff Javier Salazar said the jail has experienced an upswing in the number of inmates with severe medical issues and those experiencing acute withdrawal symptoms. He said the jail implemented new safeguards for prisoners undergoing detox, adding that "we will become more stringent on who we medically accept into our facility."

Even so, reform groups have levied criticism at the Bexar County Jail and other lockups around Texas, arguing that far too many people end up in cells and subjected to risk because of drug dependency and mental-health issues.

“It’s not because of any one factor,” Michele Deitch, a distinguished UT-Austin law school lecturer who specializes in jail and prison oversight issues, told the Current in 2021 amid a rise in statewide jail deaths. “It’s about who we’re locking up, how long we’re locking them up, why we’re locking them up and how they’re housed.”

Last year, at least 18 inmates died while in BCSO custody, according to the Texas Justice Initiative (TJI). Full jail death numbers from this year aren't yet available, according to the nonprofit criminal justice data group.

In 2022, BCSO recorded 14 deaths, and in 2021, it recorded 17, according to TJI. From 2005 through 2019, the sheriff's office recorded fewer than 10 inmate deaths annually, the data show.

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