MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. (MCSO) – The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is investigating the death of an adult in custody at the Multnomah County Inverness Jail (MCIJ). 

At approximately 5:10 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026, deputies assigned to MCIJ responded to an incident involving a 48-year-old man who appeared to be experiencing a medical event in his cell and became unresponsive.  

Deputies and Multnomah County Corrections Health staff attempted lifesaving interventions while awaiting additional medical support. Paramedics from Portland Fire & Rescue and American Medical Response (AMR) arrived and continued providing care. Despite these combined efforts, the man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased by AMR personnel. 

Following established procedures, MCSO detectives responded to the scene, and the East County Major Crimes Team has begun a formal death investigation. The Sheriff’s Office follows specific policies and protocols after any in-custody death, and those steps are currently underway to ensure the investigation is thorough and comprehensive. 

The man who died entered MCSO custody on August 16, 2026, after being booked into jail by the Portland Police Bureau. 

The Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office is leading the death investigation. The person’s identity will be released once their family has been notified. Information about how and why the person died will be shared after the medical examiner’s office completes its investigation, which will include an autopsy and toxicology analysis. 

This death follows another incident in which a man died at the Multnomah County Detention Center on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. The two cases are unrelated. The preliminary investigations on both events indicate neither death was caused by force, suicidal acts, nor were there any indications of drug use within the jails. The death investigations will remain on-going with further reviews of surveillance video, additional interviews, and other investigative tasks. When the Medical Examiner provides findings on these cases, MCSO Detectives and the Major Crimes Team will conclude their investigations.    

No additional information can be released at this time. 

The East County Major Crimes Team includes detectives from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Port of Portland Police Department, Gresham Police Department and Oregon State Police. 

The information contained in this news release is based on a preliminary review of the details available to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. As the investigation progresses, information may change.