Durham jail detainee who died in hospital had attempted suicide, Sheriff’s Office says
A detainee who died in a hospital June 30 had been found in the jail trying to kill himself, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Erick Antonio Cano-Castellanos, 39, was booked into the Durham County Detention Center on June 3 on incest and assault on a female charges and placed under $3 million bail.
Authorities did not provide details of the suicide attempt or his cause of death.
A spokeswoman for the sheriff said he had no permanent address.
On June 27, a grand jury indicted Cano-Castellanos on charges of first-degree forcible rape - incest, assault on a female - assault by strangulation, human trafficking of a minor -involuntary servitude of a minor, two counts of second degree forcible rape - incest and human trafficking - involuntary servitude, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The State Bureau of Investigation has been requested to investigate the death of Cano-Castellanos, which is allowed under state law.
A review by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will also be conducted.
Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said in a news release that his department is awaiting a final report from both agencies while an internal review is conducted.
Cano-Castellano’s identity and gender was not released until next of kin were notified.
His death is the 13th death of a detainee of Durham’s jail since 2011, according to previous News & Observer reporting.
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This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 5:45 PM.
