Ronny Pacheco
Ronny Pacheco, 34, died in his cell at the Metro Detention Center in Albuquerque in November 2020. His family's lawsuit against Bernalillo County says he hanged himself by tying a sheet to his top bunk after his mental health declined over several days in isolation. The lawsuit says one corrections officer was apparently asleep and another walked past his cell several times without noticing or responding. Bernalillo County officials said one death is too many and did not comment on the story.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The family's lawsuit says Pacheco hanged himself from his top bunk, and says officers failed to notice him for hours despite his declining mental health in isolation; Bernalillo County did not comment on the lawsuit's account.
Reported by: civil rights attorney Laura Schauer Ives, on behalf of the family in a lawsuit against Bernalillo County (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued Bernalillo County over his death at the Metro Detention Center, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.