Oscar Canas
Oscar Canas was 19 and the father of two children. He died while held at the Garfield County Jail in Colorado, and the sheriff's office said deputies found him unresponsive in his cell on a Sunday morning, a date that appears in its account as May 9, 2021, while a later lawsuit gives April 18, 2021. The family's federal lawsuit alleges that jail medical staff and a contractor prescribed him olanzapine and Suboxone together without required safety monitoring, and that deputies did not check on him properly as he showed signs of distress during the night. The lawsuit says the combination of the two drugs caused fatal drug toxicity. The sheriff's office said the case remains open pending the coroner's final report.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The Garfield County Sheriff's Office says the case remains open pending the coroner's final report, while his family's federal lawsuit alleges jail medical staff prescribed olanzapine and Suboxone together without required safety monitoring and that deputies failed to check on him during the night he died.
Reported by: Garfield County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); reporters.
Lawsuit: His family filed a federal lawsuit against the Garfield County sheriff, the county and two deputies over his death, alleging that jail staff prescribed a dangerous drug combination and that guards failed to check on him, and the case is awaiting discovery.
News reports (6)
- News report
- News report
- Garfield County Commission, Sheriff Lou Vallario being sued in federal court over jail inmate’s death
- 19-year-old died in Colorado jail cell from fatal medication cocktail prescribed by medical staff, lawsuit says
- Family of inmate who died at Garfield County Jail sues sheriff, county