March jail death was an overdose, records show

Jul. 5—A man who died in the Santa Fe County jail in March was a victim of a drug overdose, according to a newly released report.

Dominique Livingston-Esquibel, 37, is the only person to die at the jail so far in 2024.

He was arrested by Santa Fe police shortly before midnight on March 25. On the evening of March 27, about 39 hours later, he was found unresponsive in his jail cell and pronounced dead a few hours later.

An autopsy report provided by the state Office of the Medical Investigator states Livingston-Esquibel died from the "toxic effects of methamphetamine and fentanyl," ruling the death an "accident."

A blood sample taken from his body tested positive for fentanyl, norfentanyl, amphetamine and methamphetamine, according to a toxicology report from the state office. It is unclear how or when he might have consumed the drugs that killed him.

Livingston-Esquibel was not taken to a hospital to receive a "medical clearance" before his booking at the jail, Santa Fe police said in the days after he died.

Santa Fe County spokeswoman Olivia Romo wrote in an email Friday that every person "brought by an arresting agency for intended booking into [Santa Fe County jail] undergoes a medical and behavioral health screening.

"With any screening, its effectiveness is dependent upon a number of factors, such as individual's honesty, forthrightness, and awareness of such health or other issues present," Romo wrote. When a medical or behavioral health issue is identified during screening, the arresting agency could decide to transport the prisoner to a hospital, she wrote.

Romo declined to answer questions about Livingston-Esquibel's death or about an investigation into the incident by county jail staff, including whether investigators suspect he brought drugs with him into the jail or received them once inside the facility.

Heavily redacted reports and booking logs provided by Santa Fe County indicate Livingston-Esquibel was overseen closely by jail staff while at the facility.

He was moved from a shared booking cell into a personal cell early in the morning on March 27 — about 17 hours before he was found unresponsive — according to an incident report completed by jail staff. A corrections officer wrote in a statement Livingston-Esquibel was "causing a disturbance" in the group cell and keeping other inmates awake.

The officer wrote he entered the booking cell shortly after midnight on March 27 and "an inmate stated 'You did your round at the right time; we were about to kick his ass.'

"At this time, I opened the cell door asked Inmate Livingston-Esquibel what was going on. ... [He] stated 'I am just kicking,'" the officer wrote.

Livingston-Esquibel moved "from his bunk to the floor throughout the rest of the night" in the single cell, the officer wrote, and "verbally refused" breakfast a few hours later. Following his move to a personal cell, more than a dozen checks on Livingston-Esquibel's cell by officers were recorded in the facility's log book, with the last recorded 21 minutes before he was found unresponsive. During that check, an officer noted in a statement, Livingston-Esquibel turned his upper body and faced the officer "with no issues."

He was then found by another officer, lying in his bed unresponsive with a blanket covering his legs, a report states.

Santa Fe police arrested Livingston-Esquibel on March 25 on a year-old outstanding arrest warrant issued after he failed to appear in court for a 2023 drug possession charge, according to police reports and court filings. In March 2023, police had arrested and charged Livngston-Esquibel after finding him behind a building on St. Francis Drive huddled under a blanket smoking fentanyl, according to a criminal complaint.

Deputy Police Chief Matthew Champlin said in March that "no force was used" in his March 25 arrest and "the arrestee was alert, no injuries were reported and he was cooperative."

"The initial indication is there was not a medical clearance prior to booking," he said at the time.

Neither Santa Fe County jail staff nor the Office of the Medical Investigator located any relatives to notify about Livingston-Esquibel's death, reports indicate. Attempts by The New Mexican to reach living relatives of the deceased have also been unsuccessful.

The jail had three in-custody deaths in 2023, six in 2022 and two in 2021, according to county records. Four of the jail deaths in the last three years appear to have been caused by drug overdoses, while three were attributed to suicide.