A man being held at Denver’s Downtown Detention Center died early Tuesday after deputies found him unresponsive in a housing unit, according to officials. Deputies and on-site medical staff tried life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the jail shortly afterward.
Deputies discovered the man around 3:30 a.m., according to Denver7. A medical team attempted to revive him, but he was declared deceased at the facility. The Denver Sheriff Department said the Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death and release the man’s identity once family members are notified.
“Per protocol, with any death in custody, the Denver Police Department will conduct an investigation,” the sheriff’s statement said. Officials also noted they are limiting what they share publicly so they do not compromise that investigation.
Investigation And Jail Numbers
The Denver Sheriff Department reported that there have been eight in-custody deaths in 2025 between the Downtown Detention Center and the Denver County Jail. The agency maintains an online dashboard tracking its current jail population. That data currently lists about 964 people held at the Downtown Detention Center and roughly 611 at the Denver County Jail, according to the Denver Sheriff Department.
Staffing Strains And Earlier Jail Deaths
Concerns about safety and staffing at Denver’s jails have been simmering for years. Reporting from Denverite found the sheriff department operating at about two-thirds of its authorized deputy positions in 2025. That same reporting documented nine jail deaths that year, eight of them in sheriff custody, a pattern that advocates say has intensified scrutiny of medical care and oversight behind bars. Former deputies and advocates told reporters that chronic understaffing fuels safety risks for both people in custody and staff…