A Santa Rosa man awaiting trial for murder was found dead in his jail cell, authorities said on Wednesday. Skyler Rasmussen, 28, was discovered unresponsive during a routine check at a Sonoma County jail. According to a Sonoma County Sheriff's Office statement obtained by Facebook, correctional deputies performed CPR, administered Narcan, and called for an ambulance before he was pronounced dead by emergency medical personnel.

Rasmussen had been incarcerated for the alleged murder of William Woodard, and his trial was set to start next year. Despite performing life-saving measures and having been trained for such emergencies, Rasmussen could not be revived. The Marin County Coroner's Office is carrying out an independent death investigation under the County-Wide in-custody death protocol.

The suspect had been in custody since late 2022 in connection with a deadly stabbing at The Palms Inn in Santa Rosa, detailed in a report by the KRON4. He left a court-mandated drug rehab treatment program just days before the incident. Initially slated for April 12, the trial had been postponed to January 2025.

The cause of death was not immediately released, and further details of the case are pending investigation results. A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office, Rob Dillion, conveyed the department's sympathy, saying, "During this challenging time, the Sheriff's Office would like to send our deepest condolences to Rasmussen’s family and friends," while also being charged with getting to the bottom of Rasmussen's death.