A woman died in custody in a Santa Barbara County Jail.
It happened Monday night at the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria.
Custody deputies at the jail spotted the woman on the ground in her cell. The deputies, jail medical personnel, and paramedics were unsuccessful in efforts to revive her. The woman’s name hasn’t been released. An autopsy is pending.
She was arrested last Wednesday for illegal weapons possession, and on Friday, a cruelty to animals charge was added.
There was another inmate in the cell with the woman at the time of the incident.
Multiple investigations into the death are underway, but at this point, authorities aren’t speculating on what might have occurred.
