DUBLIN – An investigation is underway into the death of a 37-year-old inmate at the Santa Rita Jail, according to authorities.
Just before midnight Monday, Alameda County sheriff’s deputies found Oakland resident Elias Angel Rivera unresponsive in his cell with visible injuries after his cellmate activated the emergency call button, Sgt. Roberto Morales said in a news release.
Rivera was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 1:10 a.m. Tuesday.
The death is being investigated as a homicide, Morales said, adding that the cause is under investigation.
The sheriff’s office notified the county district attorney’s office about the in-custody death and will submit a report to the California Attorney General’s Office, according to Morales.
California Highway Patrol officers arrested Rivera on suspicion of murder on May 21, 2022. He was booked into the jail the same day and housed in a maximum-security unit.
Check back for updates.