Inmate dies in Santa Barbara County's Main Jail

An inmate died Thursday at Santa Barbara County's Main Jail, with a drug overdose suspected as the cause.
KCLU

An autopsy is pending, but a drug overdose is suspected

Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at Santa Barbara County's Main Jail.

A deputy and a jail nurse were conducting routine welfare checks on inmates Thursday night when they discovered one didn't respond to them. They say they entered the cell and discovered he wasn't breathing, and had a foamy purge coming from his mouth.

They started CPR, and administered Narcan, which is the drug used to counter an opioid overdose. But, he failed to respond, and was pronounced dead. He's being identified as Rio Ulvaeus of Santa Barbara. The 45-year-old man was being held on drug and weapons related charges.

An autopsy is pending, but jail officials say there are indications the death was the result of an opioid overdose.

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Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.