A 58-year-old woman who had been in custody at the Snohomish County Jail in Everett for just two days was found dead in her cell Wednesday morning, setting off a fresh in-custody death investigation at the facility.
What The Sheriff's Office Has Said So Far
According to a release from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, a corrections officer found the woman unresponsive in her cell at about 7:25 a.m. on April 22 during routine morning checks. Jail staff attempted lifesaving measures, including efforts to resuscitate her, but she was later pronounced dead. The office said her death remains under investigation.
The woman had been booked into the jail on April 20 on suspicion of loitering, possession of a controlled substance and a "Stay Out of Drug Area" violation, as reported by KIRO 7. Her name and cause of death have not yet been publicly released.
How In-Custody Deaths Are Handled
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office policy manual lays out what is supposed to happen when someone dies in custody. Deputies are required to preserve the scene, notify command staff and call in the Major Crimes Unit to investigate. The policy also requires that the county Medical Examiner be notified in every death investigation.
Washington law gives county coroners or medical examiners jurisdiction over deaths that occur in jails, including determining the official cause and manner of death. Investigators rely on autopsies, toxicology testing and medical records to reach those conclusions. See the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office policy manual and the Washington State Legislature website for RCW 68.50.010 for the procedures investigators follow.
A Recent Pattern
This is not the first in-custody death at the Snohomish County Jail in recent years. State uniform jail death reports and 2024 local coverage, including a series on detainee deaths, describe earlier cases in which autopsies listed causes such as acute fentanyl intoxication and post-seizure cardiac arrest.
Those deaths prompted internal reviews and public scrutiny over medical care and monitoring at the facility, and investigators typically wait for full autopsy and toxicology results before announcing an official cause. According to the Washington Department of Health Uniform Jail Death Report files, the outcomes of those reviews have varied.
What Happens Next
Sheriff's detectives and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner will conduct the formal investigation into the woman's death and release their findings once they are complete. Autopsy and toxicology work can take anywhere from several days to a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the case.
Families and attorneys are typically notified before authorities publicly release a person's identity or the official cause and manner of death. The sheriff's office has said it will provide additional updates as the inquiry moves forward.
