Hayden Schuck
Hayden Schuck was 22 and had recently moved to San Diego from Orange County to study for a real estate license; his parents, Sabrina and Tim Schuck, describe him as their only son. He was held at San Diego Central Jail for six days and was found dead there on March 16, 2022. The Medical Examiner's autopsy listed extreme dehydration as the cause of death. His family's attorneys allege that deputies failed to give him medical care as he became severely ill, unable to eat, drink or keep his balance, and that the county failed to preserve more than two days of video from outside his cell that could show this. A federal judge sanctioned the county over the missing footage and allowed jurors to assume it would have reflected badly on the county, and supervisors approved a $16 million settlement with the family in October 2025.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). The Medical Examiner listed dehydration and cardiac arrest tied to cocaine and Ecstasy, while his parents' wrongful death lawsuit alleges medical neglect by county staff, and the family's attorneys say the county deleted video outside his cell that could show deputies refused him medical care, which the county disputes.
Reported by: Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); his parents' wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); family's attorneys (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His parents sued San Diego County over his death, and supervisors approved a $16 million settlement with his family in October 2025.