CLEVELAND (WJW) — Two inmates of the Cuyahoga County Jail died Nov. 1 of drug intoxication, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed this week.
Melissa Musson, 47, of Cleveland, was found in her cell “in distress” at about 5:45 a.m. that day, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Steven Hammett told the FOX 8 I-Team in a statement.
She was taken from the jail to MetroHealth Medical Center on Nov. 1, where she was treated and later died, according to the medical examiner.
The medical examiner’s office determined Musson died of acute intoxication by cocaine, fentanyl, protonitazene — a synthetic opioid — and morphine, according to a Friday, Jan. 20, news release.
A second inmate death was reported later that day.
Mark L. Turner, 32, of South Euclid, was found “unresponsive” in his cell at about 9:10 p.m. on Nov. 1. He was also transported to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner’s office on Thursday, Jan. 19, announced Turner died of acute intoxication by chlordiazepoxide, buprenorphine, dicyclomine and doxepin. Those drugs are used to treat irritable bowel syndrome, alcohol and opioid dependency and depression.
“This is sad for the family and our staff,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement at the time. “We’ve increased safety for inmates and Correction Officers by adding two drug detection dogs, two body scanners, issuing suicide prevention blankets, removing bed rails from bunks, adding cameras and radios, and working with MetroHealth to assure physical and behavioral health access.”