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Man dies from 'medical emergency' while in Tarrant County Jail custody

A maximum security cell at the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
A maximum security cell at the Tarrant County jail in Fort Worth.

A 63-year-old man died on Sunday while he was in Tarrant County Jail custody.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Steven Whittley. He is the fifth in-custody death this year.

The Sheriff's Office said in a statement released Tuesday that Whittley — who has been in custody since July on drug-related charges — was reported unresponsive in his cell on Friday and was given lifesaving treatment by jail and medical staff. He was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth where he died two days later.

The Sheriff's Office did not give further information on Whittley's cause of death and a ruling had not been made by the medical examiner's office as of Tuesday.

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office has faced criticism for years over the number of in-custody deaths, including an alleged murder by guards.

Two people died in custody in February: Charles Stephen Johnson, who died by suicide, and Kimberly Phillips, who died of hunger and thirst. Lizza Elizabeth Gadlin died in April and her cause of death is still pending.

Earlier this month 61-year-old Richard Gutkowski died after he was transported to JPS.

Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.

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Megan Cardona is a daily news reporter for KERA News. She was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and previously worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.