Update: The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office has completed an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death in this incident and has identified the deceased man as thirty-six-year-old Michael Manuel Gomez of Vista. The results of the autopsy are pending. Preliminary results did not reveal any obvious trauma or the presence of illegal drugs in Mr. Gomez’ system.
Vista CA— Last night, Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at about 10:00 p.m. deputies at the Vista Detention Facility responded to a panic alarm and saw an inmate inside the dayroom of a module in apparent medical distress. The man did not appear injured, but as deputies entered the module to help the 36-year-old man, he became unresponsive. CPR was initiated and the man was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased at about 10:30 p.m.
The man was in custody for possession of a leaded cane, being a felon in possession tear gas and a violation of his probation terms. The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit responded to investigate the death.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death and notify the victim’s family.
The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit responds to investigate all in-custody deaths. The response is not an indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit at (858) 974-2321/after hours at (858) 565-5200. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.