Mark Van Beckner
Mark Van Beckner, 57, was held at the Santa Cruz Main Jail on November 1, 2022. Friends remembered him as "Woody," a woodworker and artist who had a big Australian shepherd named George. The sheriff's office said investigators believed his death was a suicide, while the coroner's office later reported that an autopsy found internal bleeding from an aortic aneurysm, with toxicology results still incomplete. His sister, an emergency nurse, has raised concerns about how closely he was watched after he was placed in an isolation cell that morning when he appeared sick. He was found unresponsive in that cell and pronounced dead at 8:16 a.m.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner's autopsy found an aortic aneurysm causing internal bleeding, while the sheriff's office said investigators believed it was a suicide; his sister, an emergency nurse, has raised concerns about how closely staff watched him before he collapsed.
Reported by: Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office (Lt. Patrick Dimick) (the agency that held him); Santa Cruz County Coroner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); his sister.