OROVILLE, Calif. — Authorities in Butte County are investigating the death of a female inmate at the county jail on Thursday.
Deputies arrested 43-year-old Erin Conway around 1 a.m. on Thursday for allegedly trespassing at a convenience store in Oroville, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Surveillance footage from the convenience store allegedly shows Conway rummaging through a customer’s car in the parking lot. Employees at the store said she entered and exited the store several times, too, before staff called the sheriff’s office.
Deputies responded and, according to investigators, they were able to convince Conway to leave peacefully. However, she returned to the store again several minutes later. When she did, staff called the sheriff’s office again and said they wanted her arrested for trespassing.
Investigators say Conway was taken to the Butte County Jail where medical staff determined she was under the influence of drugs. According to the sheriff’s office, Conway was taken to a “sobering cell” within the jail’s booking area. When staff went to check on her around 5 p.m. that afternoon, they determined she was not breathing and appeared to be “having a medical issue.”
Medical staff at the jail attempted to revive Conway before paramedics arrived and took over. Despite their efforts, Conway was pronounced dead.
Investigators with the Butte County District Attorney’s Office were called to the jail to investigate, interviewing staff and the overall circumstances around her death.
According to the preliminary investigation, there has been no evidence found to suggest Conway committed suicide or was involved in any violent attack before being found unresponsive. Investigators say she was the only inmate in the sobering cell at the time.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine Conway’s exact cause of death.
The district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office are continuing to investigate this incident.
