SAN ANTONIO – A man who was in custody for a drug charge died Tuesday morning in a hospital due to a pulmonary illness, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Daniel Maldonado, 31, first began reporting chest pains on Feb. 9, the sheriff’s office confirmed in a news release. The following day, he was taken to University Hospital.
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His health continued to decline before he was pronounced dead at the hospital Tuesday morning around 7:30 a.m.
Though it is believed his death was due to natural causes, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. He did not test positive for COVID-19, officials said.
Maldonado had been in jail since Jan. 10, when he was taken into custody for possession of a controlled substance, a state jail felony. His death will be investigated by the Bexar County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office, along with a separate administrative investigation led by the BCSO internal affairs and public integrity units.
Maldonado is at least the second Bexar County Jail death reported this year. In January, a 40-year-old man identified as Vincent Garcia was killed in a gang-related assault in the jail.
In 2021, 17 inmates died while in Bexar County custody, according to the Texas Justice Initiative.