A 58-year-old man incarcerated at the El Paso County Jail was found unresponsive in his bunk early Tuesday morning and later pronounced dead, according to a sheriff's office news release. Deputies and medical staff began lifesaving efforts immediately, but the man could not be revived.
According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the man was found at approximately 5:33 a.m. on Nov. 10. Medical personnel from American Medical Response and the Colorado Springs Fire Department arrived at the jail at about 5:54 a.m. — roughly 21 minutes after he was discovered — to assist with the resuscitation effort, per the sheriff's office. As The Gazette reported, the man was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.
FOX21 reported that the man was pronounced dead at 6:01 a.m. and that life-saving efforts were stopped at that time, per FOX21. The same report noted that the initial investigation does not appear to have indications of self-harm, assault or foul play, and that an autopsy has been requested.
Sheriff Orders Formal Investigation
Sheriff Joseph Roybal ordered an in-depth investigation into the incident, with the station's report noting that the EPSO Investigations Division will handle the inquiry. Deputies have requested an autopsy by the El Paso County Coroner's Office, which is located next to the jail. The coroner's office is expected to release the man's identity once proper notifications have been made.
A Jail With a Troubled Recent History
Tuesday's death adds to a years-long pattern of fatalities at the facility. In May 2026, a 46-year-old woman was found unresponsive on her bunk at 10:46 p.m. and pronounced dead at 11:17 p.m., according to The Gazette's earlier coverage; that initial investigation likewise found no indication of self-harm, assault or foul play, with the coroner's office conducting an autopsy and the sheriff's office investigations division looking into the death. The woman was later identified as Felicia Phillips, The Gazette reported in a follow-up story.
A separate case involved a 35-year-old woman who was transported from the jail to a local hospital and died around 11:30 p.m., according to KOAA. The pattern stretches back further still: The Colorado Sun reported that a 48-year-old man found unresponsive at the jail in April 2022 was the fourth inmate to die there that year, putting 2022 among the facility's deadliest years, with five deaths recorded in 2021, four in 2020 and five in 2019.
Scrutiny Over Medical Care Behind Bars
A 2024 Gazette report found that 11 people died in El Paso County jail custody in 2022 alone, and that more than 20 inmates died at the jail from 2020 through 2023 while the county contracted with the health care provider Wellpath. Two inmates had died since the jail switched medical providers to VitalCore on Jan. 1, 2024, according to that same prior Gazette reporting. The El Paso County Coroner's Office says it publishes an annual report detailing death statistics for the county from the preceding year as part of its public-health mission.
No findings have been released in Tuesday's death, and the sheriff's office has not provided further details beyond its initial statement. The investigation remains ongoing.
