A 49-year-old woman being held at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center died Wednesday morning after what deputies described as an apparent seizure, adding to a growing list of in-custody deaths at the San Antonio jail this year.
Authorities identified the woman as Jessell Constancio, who had been booked into the jail earlier this month. Deputies said jail medical staff and first responders began life-saving measures in her assigned housing area after she appeared to suffer a seizure and stopped breathing.
According to WOAI, the San Antonio Fire Department and EMS continued resuscitation efforts. Constancio briefly regained a pulse before she was taken to University Hospital, where deputies said she was pronounced dead around 10 a.m.
Constancio had been arrested on July 4 on a state-jail-felony charge of prostitution with three or more previous convictions, according to deputies.
Another in-custody death in a tense year at the jail
Constancio’s death is the latest in a string of in-custody deaths this year that has drawn scrutiny and concern from families and reporters, as documented by KSAT. Recent cases have included suspected detox-related medical episodes and at least one apparent suicide, and advocates have pushed for independent review of how the jail handles medical care and monitoring.
Those earlier incidents have already put jail operations under a microscope, raising questions about staffing, health screening, and how quickly medical emergencies are recognized and treated inside the facility.
Investigations and oversight
In prior similar cases, the sheriff’s office has opened internal administrative reviews while the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office determines the official cause and manner of death, and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards is typically notified, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Some in-custody deaths are also investigated by outside agencies under the Sandra Bland Act, which requires an outside law-enforcement agency to handle certain jail deaths. In past cases, county investigators and jail internal affairs units have conducted concurrent inquiries while awaiting autopsy and toxicology results.
Constancio was pronounced dead at University Hospital’s main campus in the South Texas Medical Center. University Health lists that campus at 4502 Medical Drive in San Antonio. The Bexar County Medical Examiner and any reviewing agencies are expected to release formal findings after investigations and testing are complete.
