Martinez Duncan
Martinez Duncan, 24, died on November 20, 2025, at Cook County Jail in Chicago, where he was held in the residential treatment unit. The sheriff's office said a preliminary review found that a lit wick started the fire in his cell, while other accounts say his cellmate set it with smoldering toilet paper. According to a sheriff's office account, officers moved him and his cellmate to a holding area, where he was left slumped until staff returned, and he was later pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing cardiac arrest during a physical struggle with restraint, with smoke inhalation, atherosclerosis and obesity as contributing factors, while leaked incident reports written by officers say he and another man stayed in the burning cell for about sixteen minutes, that officers used pepper spray, and that a chuckhole closed on his hand. State police and sheriff's investigations are ongoing, and advocate Matthew McLoughlin of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice said the death is part of a pattern of concerning deaths at the jail.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing cardiac arrest during a physical struggle with restraint, while the sheriff's office says a lit wick started the fire and the cause and manner remain under investigation; leaked incident reports say officers used pepper spray and closed the chuckhole on his hand, and the sheriff's office says his body was left slumped in the holding area for a period.
Reported by: Cook County medical examiner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Cook County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); leaked incident reports written by the officers involved; Illinois State Police (outside investigators).
News reports (11)
- Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Death in Custody Reports (edition of 2026-07-28)
- Man dies after fire in Cook County Jail cell - Chicago Sun-Times
- Detainee Killed in Fire Inside Cook County Jail Cell
- Inmate dies at Cook County Jail after fire in his cell
- Jail Officials Think Fire That Killed Detainee May Have Been Caused By 'Lit Wick'
- Another death at Cook County Jail raises questions amid ongoing transparency fight
- Cook County Jail safety concerns raised after inmate's death ruled a homicide - Chicago Sun-Times
- Cook County Jail safety concerns raised after inmate's death ruled a homicide
- Sixteen Minutes in a Burning Cell
- Grief and Rehabilitation in a California Prison
- Escapes. Fires. Rebellions. Trove of records reveals chaos inside Illinois county jails.