Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Joseph Earl Morton

33 years old · died May 17, 2020 · Vista Detention Facility, San Diego County, California

Joseph Morton, known to his family as Joey, was 33 and had moved from Wisconsin to San Diego in 2018 for a fresh start, working as a car salesman until the COVID-19 pandemic cost him the job. He died by hanging in his cell at the Vista jail in May 2020, and the sheriff's department said he died by suicide. His family said he had talked about suicide repeatedly, including while in custody, and a federal wrongful death lawsuit against San Diego County and Liberty Healthcare alleges that medical staff failed to flag his suicide risk and did not follow the department's suicide prevention policies. The lawsuit also says he was kept in a single cell during COVID-19 quarantine without special watch or regular monitoring, and his attorney said he was in crisis and needed medication and counseling. The family says the department did not inform them until days after his death, and the sheriff's department declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The family's wrongful death lawsuit says medical staff failed to flag his suicide risk and deputies did not place him on special watch or monitor him regularly, and the Sheriff's Department declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

Reported by: Vista Detention Facility sheriff's officials (Lt. Thomas Seiver) (the agency that held him); Joseph Morton's family, through their federal wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against San Diego County and Liberty Healthcare alleging medical staff failed to flag his suicide risk, and no dollar amount is reported.

News reports (4)

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Questions, a correction, or a death I’ve missed? Email me at orion.j.taylor@gmail.com.