A third inmate has died in custody at Stock Island Detention Center in the last 17 days, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Leonardo Hernandez, 44, died on Saturday. He was in jail on drug and battery charges, according to keysnet.com.
A guard found Hernandez hanging by a sheet from his upper bunk while doing a routine check.
The guard held Hernandez up to relieve pressure on his neck and then performed CPR with a jail nurse. Hernandez was then transported to the Lower Keys Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate Hernandez’s death.
Hernandez’s suicide follows the deaths of Waldemar Pacheco and Aracelia Miranda, both 52. Authorities said they believe the men died of natural causes. Pacheco and Miranda were in jail on various drug charges. Miranda was part of the sick bay when he died.
The official cause of death of Miranda and Pacheco will be released in about two months.
