Stephen Murphy
Stephen Murphy, 63, was held at the Multnomah County Detention Center in Portland, Oregon, where he was found unconscious in his cell on July 25, 2022. A deputy described him to a detective as respectful and amicable, and Murphy had told jail staff he had major health problems. Doctors at OHSU Hospital tried for hours to save him, but he died there. The autopsy found he died of internal bleeding after a liver tumor ruptured, possibly during resuscitation with a chest-compression machine, while the medical examiner said fentanyl in his blood was not enough to cause death. Jail records show a deputy working alone for the first time did not complete required security checks, and more than an hour passed between the last movement in his cell and the first 911 call.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner attributed the death to internal bleeding from a ruptured liver tumor, possibly from a chest-compression machine, and said fentanyl in the blood was not enough to cause death, though the sheriff's office listed it as an overdose; records show a deputy working alone for the first time did not complete required security checks before he was found.
Reported by: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); medical examiner autopsy.