David John Sand
David John Sand, 29, of Carmel Valley, lived with severe schizophrenia for about ten years, and his father, Eric Sand, says he moved in and out of psychiatric treatment and at times spent time homeless in Salinas' Chinatown. David died at the Monterey County Jail on November 12, 2022. His father said sheriff's detectives told him David was found unresponsive in his cell and had cut himself. An initial autopsy reportedly found an enlarged heart and signs of drug use, but the cause of death has not been officially determined, and the family plans an independent autopsy. Eric Sand says David could have been saved.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed). His father says sheriff's detectives told him David was found unresponsive in his cell after cutting himself, while the official cause remains unknown and the family plans an independent autopsy.
Reported by: Eric Sand, his father (family or their lawyers); Monterey County Sheriff's Office detectives (the agency that held him).