Kevin Alexander Sanchez-Trejo was booked into Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, on November 21, 2021. A sergeant discovered that Mr. Sanchez-Trejo was unresponsive in his single cell on February 12, 2022. He was pronounced dead minutes later by Houston Fire Department personnel. His cause of death is listed as unknown medical reasons.

Sanchez-Trejo is 1 of 7 Known February 2022 Inmate Deaths in Texas County Jails

Jails have a duty to protect inmates from harm, including untreated health issues, suicide, and other forms of self-harm. A spate of deaths this month is cause for concern, and there have now been seven custodial deaths in Texas county jails in February 2022 alone. Besides those already mentioned in Part 1 of this series, the following custodial deaths occurred in Texas county jails this month:

• Daniel Ray Monroy died at the age of 29 on February 10, 2022, in Grayson County Jail in Sherman, Texas. He had been discovered hanging from a vent with a ligature that appeared to be fashioned from a sheet. The custodial death report indicates that the cause of death was an apparent suicide.

• David Lee Tumey was booked into Medina County Jail in Hondo, Texas, on February 10, 2022, and died at age 54 on February 13, 2022. His cause of death was unknown and is pending autopsy and toxicology results.

Of the seven known February 2022 custodial deaths in Texas county jails, five have been identified as suicides. Yet, suicide prevention is a matter that is addressed in minimum jail standards established by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). Learn more in the continuation of this series.

At no time is it intended on this website to infer that persons or entities have participated in misdeeds. All posts are meant as helpful resources to benefit county jail prisoners in Texas.

–Guest Contributor