A 53-year-old Kern County man was found dead on a hillside next to the Santa Barbara County Jail nearly a week after he walked out of the facility without his wallet, cell phone, or identification. David Mireles, of Shafter, had been cite-released from custody but was not located until a county-property custodian spotted his body just a few hundred feet from the jail, tucked into heavy brush off the walkway near Honor Farm Road.
Mireles was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on August 19, according to the Los Angeles Times, and was cite-released from the Santa Barbara County Jail the following morning. Sheriff's records show he walked free at 10:23 a.m. on August 20, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. His body was not discovered until 2:50 p.m. on August 27, exactly a week later, on a slope obscured by vegetation.
Family members told GoFundMe supporters that Mireles had existing health conditions and had been released without his wallet, phone, or ID, according to Noozhawk. Shafter sits roughly 170 miles inland from Santa Barbara, a drive of nearly three hours, according to Santa Barbara Airport, leaving Mireles stranded far from home with no apparent way to call for help or get back.
A Delayed Report and a Search That Missed Him
Mireles was not reported missing until more than five hours after his release, per the sheriff's statement carried by the Los Angeles Times. The California Highway Patrol notified the sheriff's office that he had been reported missing from Shafter, and investigators say deputies then conducted an extensive search of the jail property, the surrounding area, and nearby businesses frequented by people recently released from custody.
None of it turned up Mireles. The sheriff's office said the body was visible only after someone left the walkway, stepped into the brush, and looked down into the vegetation — the same walkway investigators had reportedly already covered during the initial search, per the Los Angeles Times. Investigators believe Mireles had been at that location since approximately the time he was released from jail, though his cause of death has not been determined, and an official autopsy remains pending, according to KCLU. Preliminary findings show no initial evidence of foul play, the station reported, and the sheriff's office says it continues to investigate his death. Santa Barbara temperatures ranged from 79 to 81 degrees during the week Mireles was reported missing, per the Los Angeles Times.
An Eerily Similar Case in Azusa
The circumstances nearly mirror a case from Azusa five months earlier, the Los Angeles Times reported. In March 2026, 37-year-old Eric Valencia was released from custody after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, climbed into an out-of-service police SUV parked outside the station, and became trapped when its doors locked from the inside, according to SGV CityWatch. He was not found until three days later, still inside the vehicle.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner concluded in May that Valencia's death was accidental, caused by hyperthermia from extreme body heat inside the unventilated vehicle, as reported by the LA Times. That determination offers a point of comparison, though Mireles's cause of death remains undetermined while toxicology and coroner findings are pending.
Discharge Protocols Under Renewed Scrutiny
Santa Barbara County Jail works with community partners on discharge services, including a program called Light's On that offers waiting shelter, refreshments, and guidance to people leaving custody. A prior county Grand Jury review found that inmates are not always explicitly told these options exist, according to the sheriff's office.
That review followed a broader June 2025 Grand Jury report that criticized flaws in jail health screenings after three in-custody deaths, including a 57-year-old woman who died from a perforated gastric ulcer after her symptoms were mistaken for opioid withdrawal, per KCLU. County officials have since said they enhanced medical reviews and audits inside the jail system. Separately, county officials and defense counsel in January formally settled a 45-year-old lawsuit over jail overcrowding that had required extensive structural and operational reforms, as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent.
California also enacted legislation in March aimed at removing county sheriffs from directly overseeing coroner investigations into deaths inside their own jails, according to CalMatters. The law was designed to eliminate the conflict of interest created when local agencies investigate deaths in their own custody. Hoodline has previously reported on fatal in-custody health emergencies tied to the same facility, including a fentanyl-distribution case at the jail, as the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate exactly what happened to David Mireles in the days between his release and his discovery.
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