Odor Thought To Be Sewage Leads CA Prison Staff To Inmate's Body

SAN DIEGO, CA -- A Donovan state prison inmate found days after the prisoner died in April 2017, was so badly decomposed that the Medical Examiner's Office was unable to determine his cause of death. An autopsy report unsealed Thursday indicates James Acuna, 58, was found dead April 24, 2017 after inmates complained of an odor that staff initially thought was a sewer problem.

The death of Acuna made headlines last April when TimesofSanDiego.com revealed that his body wasn't found for days at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, a prison in the southern part of San Diego County. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department confirmed it appeared that Acuna was dead for two to three days before his body was discovered.

Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which oversees the state prisons and parole system, said an internal investigation prevented the agency on releasing further details surrounding Acuna's death.

"Our internal investigation on this case is still ongoing. Once it is concluded, we will hold staff accountable if wrongdoing is found," Waters said.

Acuna came to Donovan in 2014 after being given a 16-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles County. He was jailed in the past for crimes in 1984 and 2000.

The heavily redacted autopsy report indicated the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office examined Acuna's body the morning of April 25, 2017.

"He was last seen alive by other inmates when he was playing soccer on April 21, 2017," the autopsy said. "At that time he had no complaints. He went to his cell and was reportedly not seen by other inmates after that time."

An inmate reportedly went to Acuna's cell but was informed by his cellmate, who was not identified, that Acuna had the flu. Acuna "appeared to be on the bottom bunk covered with a blanket," the autopsy said.

"On April 23, 2017 inmates complained of an odor coming from the decedent's cell. Staff though (sic) it was related to a sewer system problem and filed a work order," the autopsy said. "On April 24, 2017 staff made entry into the cell and found the decedent unresponsive under a blanket on his bunk with signs of decomposition. At that time his cellmate did not want to let them enter the cell or attempt to wake the decedent. The decedent was moved by staff from the bunk to the infirmary where his death was pronounced."

The autopsy went on to say an "investigation revealed the decedent's cellmate was incarcerated for the death of his father who was found decomposed under a mattress in his home. During an interview with a mental health care professional in the correctional facility the decedent's cellmate stated he had murdered his former cellmate to get a cell to himself when he was incarcerated in Kern County."

An examination of Acuna's body showed he had "a mild to moderate state of decomposition" by the time the autopsy was conducted. It also noted "minor blunt force injury of head and extremities."

"The only traumatic injuries noted were small abrasions on the left side of the forehead, scabbed abrasions on the left wrist and knees, and a small abrasion on the palmar surface of the right the hand and right forearm covered with bandages. The brain was decomposed and markedly softened," the autopsy said.

The autopsy noted that Acuna suffered from cirrhosis of the liver due to a chronic hepatitis C viral infection.

"Examination was limited by decomposition artifact," the autopsy said. "The only demonstrable natural disease was his hepatitis cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C viral infection. Sudden death has been associated with hepatic cirrhosis; however, the decedent was not clinically in liver failure and was not known to be jaundiced. Although it is certainly possible that the decedent died of natural causes related to his liver disease, focal bronchitis, and/or (redacted) due to homicidal violence cannot be completely excluded."

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