Jail Reports Second In-Custody Death of 2025

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) reported an in-custody death at the Milwaukee County Jail Tuesday night.

The 33-year-old man was booked into jail in November on a single charge of felony possession of methamphetamine, according to the MCSO. The Sheriff’s Office did not identify the individual.

At 7:41 p.m. Wednesday, a correctional officer was alerted by a jail occupant that his cellmate “appeared to be unconscious and in medical distress,” according to the MCSO. An emergency was declared and multiple officers responded and started lifesaving measures, which included administering Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Milwaukee Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene at 7:51 p.m. He was pronounced deceased at 8:19 p.m.

The death is being investigated by an outside law enforcement agency. Under state law, law enforcement agencies cannot investigate potential criminal incidents involving their own personnel. The MCSO is a member of the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team (MAIT), made up of area law enforcement agencies.

The death is the second in 2025 at the county jail. In March, Joseph Boivin, 48, passed away at Froedtert Hospital after being discovered in the midst of a health crisis by a nurse in the jail.

A third-party audit looking into the jail’s suicide, health and safety policies was very recently completed. The report from Texas-based Creative Corrections was filed May 20. In November 2024, auditors released an initial report showing “deeply alarming” policies for suicide prevention, inefficient use of mental health resources, insufficient training, understaffing, overcrowding and a lack of internal oversight. In its final report, the auditor found the MCSO making “meaningful and measurable” progress in addressing these issues.

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