A 34-year-old man died of “natural causes” at the El Paso County jail, marking the fourth death of an inmate at the Downtown jail this year, authorities said.
Detention officers found 34-year-old Jonathan Rizzo about 4:20 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, unresponsive inside his cell at the El Paso County jail in Downtown, El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte announced in a news release.
Rizzo was being held in Cellblock 790. Detention officers conducting a “routine physical check of the floor,” found Rizzo “slumped over, facing the toilet, and unresponsive,” a Texas Attorney General’s Office custodial death report states.
The jailers provided medical treatment to Rizzo, who was then taken to Las Palmas Medical Center, the report states. He was pronounced dead about 7 p.m. at the hospital.
The report states that the cause of death is “unknown at this time” and an autopsy is pending. Rizzo had a pre-existing medical condition, the report states. No other information on the condition is stated in the report.
Ugarte said the cause of death is believed to be natural causes.
“Preliminary findings suggest the cause of death was natural; however, the investigation remains ongoing,” Ugarte said in the news release.
Rizzo was booked into the El Paso County jail on May 25 on suspicion of credit card or debit card abuse, and a probation violation on a possession of controlled substance charge, the report and El Paso jail records show. He was being held on a $51,500 bond.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Texas Rangers are investigating the death. Texas Commission on Jail Standards was notified of the death as required by law, Ugarte said.
“Our priority is the safety and well-being of everyone in our custody,” Ugarte said. “We are committed to full transparency and accountability and will ensure this case is thoroughly investigated in accordance with state law and departmental policy.”
Four deaths at El Paso jails in 2025
Rizzo is the fourth reported inmate death at the El Paso County Downtown Detention Facility this year.
Inmate Joe Murvin, 72, was found Jan. 23 unconscious and not breathing in his cell. The cause of death was ruled natural causes.
Two days after Murvin’s death, inmate Miguel Angel Montoya, 30, was found dead. Montoya’s death was ruled a suicide.
A third inmate, Rafael Reyes, 54, was found dead at the jail March 7. His cause of death was ruled a suicide.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man dies of ‘natural causes’ at Downtown jail, fourth inmate death of 2025
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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