Suicide likely cause of fourth inmate death at Sedgwick County Jail this year
A 25-year-old Augusta man has died after authorities discovered him unresponsive in his cell at the Sedgwick County Jail on Monday night.
“Preliminary evidence indicates the death was the result of suicide through self-asphyxiation,” a news release Tuesday from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says.
He was not on suicide watch at the time, so his access to potentially risky items had not been restricted, Stitt said by email.
The inmate’s death is the fourth this year at the Sedgwick County Jail. His name was being withheld Tuesday while authorities notified his family.
“The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been notified, and sheriff’s detectives are conducting a thorough investigation,” according to the news release.
Deputies found the inmate around 11:04 p.m. Monday and “immediately began life-saving measures.” Members of Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Services and the Wichita Fire Department responded to the jail and took the inmate to a Wichita hospital, where doctors declared him dead at 12:07 a.m. Tuesday, the news release says.
The inmate was booked into the jail on July 15 on aggravated robbery charges, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Stitt said the jail evaluates each new inmate for medical and mental health conditions, including “screening for any suicidal ideations or plans.”
“If an individual shows indications of being suicidal or at risk of self-harm, our protocols require that they be placed on heightened or suicide watch. This watch includes preventing access to sheets or other items that could be used for self-harm,” he said in the email.
“All inmates also can request services from on-site medical and mental health staff at any time. Detention deputies and supervisors receive routine training to remain observant and recognize potential signs of inmates struggling with mental illness.
“In this incident, the inmate was not on a heightened watch,” Stitt said.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 2:57 PM.
