Woman found dead in Banning jail, the 5th county custody death in 2022

A female inmate was found dead early Monday inside the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

At 5:12 a.m. Monday, deputies discovered the unresponsive woman in the housing unit. Custody and jail medical staff administered lifesaving measures, and fire personnel also responded to the scene, the department said.

She was pronounced dead at 5:52 a.m. Her name had not been released to the public as of 3 p.m. Monday.

Law enforcement officials said there were no signs of foul play.

This is at least the fifth in-custody death reported in the county this year.

Last month, two male inmates were found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and one man died at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

A female inmate also died in April at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

The county has averaged about seven inmate deaths in its jail system annually since 2005, according to data published by the California Department of Justice. There are five jails operated by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in the county.

Previous Desert Sun reporting was used in this report.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Female inmate found dead in Banning jail