Female detainee found dead in cell at DuPage County Jail

A female detainee died Monday morning in her cell at the DuPage County Correctional Center, authorities said.

About 9:35 a.m., a sheriff’s deputy conducting her regular rounds found Reneyda Aguilar-Hurtado, 50, unconscious and unresponsive in her cell, according to a DuPage County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Sheriff’s deputies immediately entered Aguilar-Hurtado’s cell and administered CPR until paramedics from the Wheaton Fire Department arrived. Paramedics took Aguilar-Hurtado to Central DuPage Hospital where she never regained consciousness and was pronounced deceased a few hours later, according to the release.

The cause of her death is not known, but there were no obvious signs of physical trauma observed at the time she was discovered in her cell, authorities said.

“This is an extremely unfortunate event,” DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said in the release. “We take all the necessary safeguards to protect our detainees and our preliminary investigation indicates all the proper procedures were followed. We believe very strongly that our mission is not merely to confine detainees, but to care for them as well.”

Aguilar-Hurtado had been in custody since her warrant arrest March 19 by the Addison Police Department for misdemeanor battery. On April 10, Aguilar-Hurtado was determined unfit to stand trial and a court order was entered to have her transferred to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services for further mental health treatment and evaluation, according to the release.

Aguilar-Hurtado was placed on a 15-minute medical watch June 10 when she was found sitting on the floor of her cell in a pool of vomit and refused any medical assistance. She had been scheduled to be examined by a physician on Monday morning, authorities said.

An investigation by the Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards is underway and, once completed, will be reviewed by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. Additional information on the incident will be released as soon as it becomes available, authorities said.