Alan Arguelles
Alan Arguelles was 16 years old and the eldest of four children, a skateboarder who wanted to become a mechanic. He was held at the Kearny Mesa juvenile hall in San Diego when he died on September 8, 2021. His mother, Brenda Arguelles, says in a federal lawsuit that he had overdosed on fentanyl days earlier, was treated in the facility's on-site emergency room and returned to his room, where he obtained more fentanyl. The lawsuit says staff did not perform the required 15-minute checks, and an autopsy report says he was found dead the next morning. The county probation department said it could not comment on the autopsy report.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). His mother's federal lawsuit says he overdosed on fentanyl days before his death, was treated and returned to his room, and that staff did not perform the required 15-minute checks; the autopsy report attributes the death to fentanyl overdose, and the county probation department declined to comment on it.
Reported by: lawsuit filed by his mother, Brenda Arguelles (family or their lawyers); autopsy report; county probation department.
Lawsuit: His mother, Brenda Arguelles, filed a federal lawsuit over his death, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.