Editor’s note: This story was updated to include the correct number of Bexar County Jail deaths tabulated by the Texas Justice Initiative.
Two inmates were found dead in their cells at Bexar County Jail over two days’ time,
.
Duane Ventimiglia, 40, and Francisco Javier Salinas, 41, both died after suffering medical episodes, the daily reports, citing officials with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). Authorities reported Ventimiglia’s death Thursday and Salinas’ the following day.
Ventimiglia was locked up on criminal trespass charges and scheduled to appear for a hearing the day he was discovered, the paper reports. His bond had been lowered to $25 from $1,000.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to determine Ventimiglia’s precise cause of death. However, jail officials told the
Express-News
the man appeared to have succumbed to complications from a history of substance abuse.
Salinas, who’d been jailed on a misdemeanor assault charge, had a “history of several chronic conditions” requiring constant care, the sheriff’s office told the daily. BCSO authorities said they were aware of his medical issues at intake.