Chintan Shah
Chintan Shah, 40, was a former UF Health doctor who had also been an associate clinical professor at the University of Florida. He died on August 13, 2026, in the Alachua County Jail in Florida, where he was being held and where detention officers found him unresponsive in his cell. The Alachua County Sheriff's Office, citing the District 8 Medical Examiner's Office, has ruled his death a suicide from asphyxiation caused by obstruction of the mouth and nose. His wife, Ritu Shah, told investigators he had never discussed or hinted at suicide, and a handwritten note he left expressed his love for her.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide. The sheriff's office, citing the medical examiner, ruled the death a suicide by asphyxiation, and his wife says he never discussed or hinted at suicide.
Reported by: Alachua County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); District 8 Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner).
News reports (5)
- UF Health doctor dies at Alachua County Jail, officials confirm
- Alachua County Sheriff's Office: Inmate dies in custody while awaiting trial
- Additional charges filed against former UF Health doctor found dead in Alachua County Jail
- Arrest, Fresh Charges, Then Death: Gujarati Doctor Found Dead In Florida Jail
- Former UF Health doctor left notes before suicide at Alachua County Jail