48-year-old man dies in custody at King County jail days after booking
Dec 31, 2025, 10:42 AM
Exterior of King County Jail. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A 48-year-old man died on Tuesday after spending only a few days in custody at the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle.
At approximately 6 a.m., a jail officer found the man unresponsive in his dormitory-style housing unit on the ninth floor, where he was previously sleeping, the Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention (DAJD) announced.
DAJD staff attempted to revive the man along with Seattle Fire Department paramedics, who later determined that the man had died at roughly 6:30 a.m.
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The man had been in custody since Dec. 26, when he was booked on a misdemeanor warrant.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death, and then the man’s identity and other details will be released on the Medical Examiner’s website.
DAJD and Public Health — Seattle & King County will conduct an internal investigation as part of the review process for all jail-related deaths.
Additionally, all jails and prisons in Washington are required to review unexpected in-custody fatalities and publish a report on the findings within 120 days of the death.
The reports can be found online at the Washington Department of Health and the Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention websites.
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