By Mike De Felice
Kitsap News Group
PORT ORCHARD – A female inmate at the Kitsap County Jail died Monday, according to a Facebook post by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman’s identity or her place of residence has not been released by authorities, pending the meeting of notification requirements.
The woman was found unresponsive Monday morning by a corrections officer on a routine check, the social media post said. The officer and medical staff immediately attempted lifesaving measures on the woman until medics from South Kitsap Fire and Rescue responded to take over, the post stated.
Officials said the woman was transported to St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, where she later died.
Earlier in the day, detectives from the Kitsap Critical Incident Response Team (KCIRT) were at the jail investigating the death, said KCIRT public information officer Lt. Aaron Elton, who is from the Bremerton Police Department (BPD).
Port Orchard Police Chief Matt Brown requested that KCIRT investigate the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death, the sheriff’s office said.
When there is an in-custody death, state legislation calls for an independent review of the fatality to be conducted, Elton said. The review by outside law enforcement agencies is intended to maintain the integrity of the investigation, he added.
The county jail, operated by the sheriff’s office, is in Port Orchard. As a result, the county sheriff’s office and Port Orchard Police Department will not participate in the KCIRT investigation.
Agencies conducting the KCIRT investigation into the inmate’s death include the Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Shelton and Poulsbo police departments, as well as the Washington State Patrol, Elton said. In this case, Bremerton Police will be the lead agency and Captain Mike Davis from BPD will direct the review, the KCIRT spokesman said.