Back on May 10th, a Santa Cruz County jail inmate died unexpectedly and suddenly while in custody. Today, that death was ruled accidental, caused by acute water intoxication.
Tamario Smith died due to the overconsumption of water in a short period of time. Sheriff’s officials say the overconsumption of water was influenced by Mr. Smith’s underlying mental health issues.
This water consumption led to an electrolyte imbalance, which caused Smith’s organs to fail, leading to this death.
A sheriff’s spokeswoman said an autopsy, testing and investigation showed no evidence of trauma, foul play, no COVID-19 or evidence that he had ingested any caustic or poisonous substances.
