Investigation Underway After Linda Bagby, 53, of El Cajon, Died In San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Custody at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility
SANTEE, CALIFORNIA (November 18, 2025) – A 53-year-old woman identified as Linda Bagby has tragically died in custody at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee.
San Diego County officials are saying that the incident took place around 4:25 PM on Friday. Linda Bagby was found unresponsive inside of her cell.
Prison staff and medical staff began life-saving measures. Despite those efforts, Linda Bagby was later pronounced dead.
A full investigation into the death at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee remains ongoing.
Liability for San Diego County Inmate Deaths
Every jail in California has a legal obligation to provide for the well-being and safety of the inmates that they house. They must receive reasonable medical attention for all of their needs. The Supreme Court of the United States has held that failing to give inmates proper medical care is a violation of the right to due process and equal protection under the law. There are many ways that a jail may have failed to adequately take care of inmates.
- Monitoring: A jail may have failed to properly monitor inmates in their care.
- Health Screening: A jail may have failed to give an inmate a proper health screening.
- Medications: A jail may have failed to provide an inmate with the medications that they required.
- Medical Treatment: A jail may have failed to provide inmates with the medical treatments that were necessary for some condition that they had.
Not every instance of harm in a jail will rise to the level of a constitutional violation. What matters is whether or not a jail was deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate. For example, an inmate may have needed a heart medication. But they were not provided this medication over the duration of their stay, and their condition worsened.
Steps to Take After San Diego County Inmate Deaths
Far too many inmates are seriously injured or die in custody every year across the United States. According to one study in the National Institutes of Health, “In 2019, there were approximately ten million admissions to more than 3,000 US jails—facilities that had become increasingly deadly in the prior decades. Between 2000 and 2019, jail mortality rose by approximately 11 percent.” The family members of any person who dies in custody of jail should take certain actions.
- All of the medical records related to the death should be collected.
- Surveillance footage that may have captured the incident leading up to any death should be carefully reviewed.
- Jail records related to the inmate stay should also be gathered.
- Family members should seek the guidance of an experienced civil rights advocate.
Jails are often quick to claim that many of the deaths in their care are “natural.” But this designation can often be highly misleading. A number of deaths listed as natural actually involved some amount of neglect. This can arise from circumstances where inmates were not given the correct medications. It can also involve situations where an inmate was not given emergency care in a timely manner. The family of any person who dies in a San Diego County Jail may be able to seek some measure of accountability and transparency through a constitutional claim.
Investigating San Diego County Inmate Deaths
We at Carrazco Law extend our deepest condolences to the family of Linda Bagby. Any person who may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong. The sheer number of deaths across San Diego County in recent months remains deeply concerning.
Do you need more information about a San Diego County inmate death? Our team of civil rights advocates is here to answer any questions you may have. We are committed to helping all people understand their constitutional rights and holding law enforcement accountable for their illegal actions. Whether you just have legal questions or need any other type of support, we are here to serve your needs. You can reach out to our office anytime at (800) 541-3244.
