Steven Carey
Steven Carey, 37, died on January 11, 2023, while held at the Richmond City Jail in Richmond, Virginia. His sister Carla Wade, his ex-wife Ashley Martin and his teenage daughter Savannah Carey remember him as someone who was good. He was found dead in his cell, and Sheriff Antionette Irving said Narcan was given, and the Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed a fentanyl-involving overdose. His family said he had told them he feared for his safety and had been stabbed about two weeks earlier, a claim the jail disputed. His sister's federal lawsuit alleged that jail policies gave people held there access to fentanyl and delayed the medical response; the sheriff reached a settlement with the family in March 2025, with terms not disclosed and still subject to a judge's approval, and a state board found supervision violations in its review of the death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (neglect alleged). The Medical Examiner's Office confirmed a fentanyl-involving overdose, and his sister's family lawsuit alleges that jail policies gave people held there unfettered access to fentanyl and delayed the medical response to his overdose.
Reported by: Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); family lawsuit.
Lawsuit: His sister sued Sheriff Antionette Irving in federal court over his death, and Irving reached a settlement with the family on March 4, 2025, but its terms were not disclosed.
News reports (4)
- With 3 inmates dead at Richmond Jail in 3 months, sheriff addresses drug problems
- Her father died inside the Richmond Jail. Now she wants answers: 'His life mattered'
- Richmond Sheriff said her jail followed proper procedures after inmates died. But the state found violations.
- Richmond sheriff settles federal lawsuit over 2023 jail death