A 21-year-old inmate died Wednesday morning at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center despite life-saving efforts by jail staff and University of New Mexico Hospital medical personnel, according to a county press release.
The inmate was discovered unresponsive at approximately 4:27 a.m. and was pronounced dead at 4:48 a.m. after medical staff administered emergency care, the county announced in the press release. The individual had been booked into the jail on Dec. 6, 2024.
The deceased inmate was being held on charges relating to the high-profile murder of a 13-year-old in Downtown Albuquerque, which gained notoriety because the accused is the son of an FBI agent assigned to investigate violent crimes.
The death adds to ongoing concerns about conditions at New Mexico’s largest jail facility, which houses an average of 1,500 people and has seen multiple fatalities in recent years. County officials report 21 people have died in custody over the past three years — about half while detoxing from drugs or alcohol.
The incident follows a similar death in December 2024, when a 44-year-old died at UNM Hospital after reporting severe stomach pain while housed at the detention center.
The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the official cause of death, following standard protocol for jail deaths. The incident remains under investigation by both the MDC Office of Professional Standards and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, according to the press release.
Bernalillo County operates the detention center solely, having taken over from joint city-county management in 2006. The county pays $20.2 million annually through a four-year contract with UNM Hospital to provide medical, dental and behavioral health services to inmates.
The partnership, which began in July 2023, increased the number of full-time medical employees at the facility from 106 to 123, replacing private contractors who had previously provided healthcare services.
The 600,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2003, can house a maximum of 1,950 inmates and serves as both a pretrial detention center for those awaiting court proceedings and a jail for individuals sentenced to less than one year.
UNM Hospital staff are equipped to handle a challenging population that includes approximately 50% of inmates with existing behavioral health diagnoses and 80-120 people detoxing daily, according to hospital officials.
The facility holds individuals charged but not yet convicted of crimes, as well as those serving sentences of less than one year. Some are detained for inability to pay court-imposed fines and fees.