The causes of death have been determined for two men who died in sheriff’s custody this week – one perished by his own hand, and the other of natural causes.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department released the results Saturday of autopsies performed on Pedro Junior Ornelas III, 27, and Paul Arthur Heimark, 66, by the county Medical Examiner’s Office.
Ornelas died at UCSD Medical Center around 10 a.m. Wednesday, after being found unresponsive in his jail cell two days before.
Investigators determined that the preliminary cause of Ornelas’ death was hanging, and the manner of death was suicide.
Ornelas, arrested by the California Highway Patrol June 16 on a felony warrant, was suspected of pimping and pandering. He also faced weapons and drug charges.
Heimark, of San Diego, was in sheriff’s custody at Alvarado Hospital, and died around 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Sheriff’s officials said Saturday that his preliminary cause of death was attributed to complications of pneumonia. The manner of death was natural.
Heimark was remanded into custody by a judge on June 16, after allegedly failing to comply with probation terms related to a charge of possession for sale of a controlled substance. He had been receiving care at the hospital and was never housed at a detention facility.
– Staff and wire reports
