Arthur Bankston II
Arthur Bankston II, 53, of Zion, died at the Lake County Jail in Waukegan on December 31, 2024. Officials said a corrections officer found him unresponsive in his cell that evening, and the sheriff's office said he had health problems and reported terminal underlying conditions. The sheriff's office said no evidence showed he used drugs in custody, though it could not rule out that he hid drugs on his body during admission. A coroner's jury later ruled his death an accident caused by fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, and the Major Crime Task Force has conducted an independent investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose. A coroner's jury ruled the death an accident caused by fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, and the sheriff's office says no evidence showed he used drugs in custody but cannot rule out that he hid drugs on his body during admission.
Reported by: Coroner's jury inquest (medical examiner or coroner); Lake County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him).