Arturo Gomez was booked into the La Joya City Jail in La Joya, Texas, on public intoxication charges. Soon after, he was found unresponsive in the multiple-occupancy cell where he was housed. Attempts to revive him were made by the jail staff and EMS. After being transported to a hospital, Mr. Gomez was pronounced dead on April 18, 2022, about 4 hours after being jailed.

Anchoring Devices Used for Suicide by Hanging

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) provides information on jail suicides in this series. To reiterate information from Part 2 of this series, inmates hung themselves in 92.7% of the 464 suicides that occurred in U.S. jails between 2005 and 2006. 

In addition to a bed or bunk and bars or cell doors, which were used as anchoring devices in 56.6% of the 430 jail hangings, the following were also used for inmate suicides:

• A ventilation grate 18.2% of the time or 78 inmate suicides.
• Shower hardware 3.7% of the time or 16 inmate suicides.
• A corded telephone 3.3% of the time or 14 inmate suicides.
• Conduit piping 2.8% of the time or 12 inmate suicides.
• A light fixture 2.1% of the time or 9 inmate suicides.
• A window 1.8% of the time or 8 inmate suicides.
• A shelf or clothing hook 1.8% of the time or 8 inmate suicides.
• A smoke detector 1.3% of the time or 6 inmate suicides.
• Other means 5.6% of the time or 24 inmate suicides.
• Unknown 2.8% of the time or 12 inmate suicides.

Learn the other anchoring devices used for hanging in this ongoing series, and see more information in Part 1.

Making suppositions that a person or organization has been a participant in wrongdoing is never intended on this website. Helping county jail inmates in Texas with informational resources is the purpose of this website’s posts.

–Guest Contributor