3 men have died in October of natural causes in Tarrant County sheriff’s custody

Three men in the custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office have died this month at a hospital of natural causes, according to reports that the agency filed with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

Jamie Russell, 43, died on Oct. 6. He was being held at the Lon Evans Correction Center in Fort Worth on charges of aggravated robbery, possession of marijuana under 2 ounces and possession of drug paraphernalia. On Sept. 26, Russell was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital for what the sheriff’s office report described as a cardiac event. Russell was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Harvey Greenwald, 81, died on on Oct. 2. About 2 1/2 hours after he entered the jail on Sept. 28, held on suspicion of making a terroristic threat to a public servant, Greenwald was taken to JPS for a presumed heart attack.

Ismael Martinez, 43, died on Oct. 1. Martinez was being held at the jail by Texas Department of Criminal Justice in connection with a Dallas County conviction that the report does not describe. Martinez was taken to JPS on Aug. 27 for COVID-19 and high potassium.

Beyond the October deaths, nine other people have died in the custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office this year. Six of the deaths were due to natural causes and one was due to suicide, according to custodial death reports that the sheriff’s office filed. In five of the deaths, the manner of death is not listed, and the reports indicate that autopsy results were not in at the time the reports were prepared.