Two weeks after the Crusader published an investigation into the nation’s broken system for tracking deaths in police and correctional custody, another man has died inside Cook County Jail and, as of press deadline, the cause remains unknown.
Martinez Duncan, 24, died Nov. 20 after a fire broke out in his cell in the jail’s residential treatment unit, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. An autopsy was conducted Nov. 21, but the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said the cause and manner of death are pending toxicology results. As of press time, no ruling has been issued.
The death occurred as the Crusader awaited a response from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to a records request seeking comprehensive data on in-custody deaths from 2020 to the present. That request remains outstanding…