A 62-year-old man died Sunday night at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) despite extensive life-saving efforts by jail staff and University of New Mexico Hospital medical personnel, according to a county press release.
The inmate, who had been booked into the facility Saturday morning at approximately 7:18 a.m., experienced his first medical emergency Sunday at 9:12 p.m., prompting staff to call a medical code. MDC personnel and the UNM Hospital medical team quickly responded, stabilized the individual and transported him to the facility’s medical unit.
Approximately 22 minutes later, the inmate suffered a second medical emergency. Life-saving measures were immediately initiated, and an ambulance was dispatched to the facility at 9:53 p.m. Albuquerque Ambulance arrived at MDC at 10:08 p.m., but despite continued emergency efforts, UNM Hospital staff pronounced the man deceased at 10:26 p.m.
The inmate’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office was notified and responded to the scene. Per standard procedures, the incident is under investigation by both the MDC Office of Professional Standards and BCSO. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the official cause of death.
This latest fatality continues a troubling pattern at New Mexico’s largest jail facility. According to previous reporting, 21 people have died in custody over the past three years, approximately half while detoxing from drugs or alcohol.
The death follows another recent incident in July, when a 21-year-old inmate died at the facility after being discovered unresponsive. That individual had been booked in December 2024 and was being held on charges related to a high-profile murder case.
The facility serves both as a pretrial detention center for those awaiting court proceedings and as a jail for individuals sentenced to less than one year.
Bernalillo County operates the detention center and 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.