Vista Jail Inmate Who Died Of Unknown Ailment Identified

VISTA, CA — Authorities Friday publicly identified the inmate who suffered a medical emergency at Vista Detention Facility and died at a hospital.

Deputies conducting a safety check inside a housing unit at the South Melrose Drive jail found Chase Mitchell, 53, suffering from an unknown type of ailment at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Monday evening.

"The San Diego County Sheriff's Office extends our sympathies to the Mitchell family and (all of) those affected by his passing," sheriff's Lt. Scott Roller said Friday.

Mitchell, who is believed to have been homeless at the time of his arrest, had been jailed Saturday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

A ruling on his cause of death remains on hold pending completion of postmortem examinations.
Custody deaths have been an issue of concern in the San Diego area in recent years. A 2019 report by the San Diego Union-Tribune found that the county's rate of inmate deaths was higher than that of other large counties in California.

A state audit in 2022 found that officials had not adequately prevented or responded to fatalities in custody. The county had 19 custody deaths that year.

— City News Service