A Russian national in federal custody at the Otay Detention Facility became stricken by an unknown ailment last weekend and died while en route to a hospital, authorities reported Tuesday.
Igor Zyazin, 46, was found unresponsive in his bunk at the Alta Road detention center on Sunday evening, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Officers and on-site medical personnel administered CPR on Zyazin prior to the arrival of paramedics, who pronounced him dead shortly after 10 p.m. as they were transporting him to a medical center.
A ruling on the cause of his death was on hold pending autopsy results.
Zyazin was transferred to ICE custody April 24 after he sought admission to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and was found to have been deported previously, according to ICE.
At the time of his death, Zyazin, who had no known criminal history in the United States, was awaiting an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to determine the next steps in his case.
Zyazin’s next of kin and Russian consular representatives have been informed about his death, as have state health officials, local law enforcement agencies, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, officials said.
Zyazin was the sixth person to die in ICE custody this fiscal year, and the first detainee to die at the Otay Mesa federal lockup facility in two years.
— City News Service