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Died in custody

Dontae Melton Jr.

31 years old · died June 25, 2025 · Baltimore County, Maryland

Dontae Melton Jr., 31, was in a mental health crisis on June 24, 2025, when he approached Baltimore police in West Baltimore and asked for help; his mother, Eleshiea Goode, said he had trusted police before. Officers handcuffed and leg-restrained him, and the Attorney General's office and the family say the ambulance officers requested never arrived, so officers drove him to a hospital in a police cruiser, where he died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing drug intoxication, hyperthermia and restraint, while the Attorney General declined to file charges, and the family and their attorney dispute that outcome and plan to sue. Questions about the delayed medical response and a dispatch system outage that night remain under investigation by the state's Independent Investigations Division.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The Maryland medical examiner ruled the death a homicide from drug intoxication, hyperthermia and restraint, and the family and their attorneys dispute the Attorney General's decision not to charge officers, saying officers failed to call crisis-trained help and left him to die while an ambulance never arrived.

Reported by: Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); his family and their attorneys.

Lawsuit: His family and their attorneys dispute the medical examiner's homicide ruling and plan to pursue civil litigation, and no lawsuit amount has been reported.

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