Autopsy Reveals Cause Of Garner Prisoner Death

An autopsy has revealed that the September 12 death of a Garner Correctional Institution inmate stemmed from natural causes.

A spokeswoman for the Chief State Medical Examiner’s office said this week that inmate Geraldo Sanchez, 34, of Union City, N.J., died due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Sanchez had complained to prison staffers about dizziness and difficulty breathing at about 1:40 pm on September 12, according to state police. Prison medical staffers then attended to Sanchez, checking his condition, according to the state Department of Correction (DOC).

However, during a routine cell check at about 5:43 pm that afternoon, a correction officer found that Sanchez, who was alone in the cell, was not breathing, according to state police. Emergency live-saving measures were taken.

The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported Sanchez to Danbury Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:34 pm.

DOC spokesman Ed Ramsey said September 22 that the DOC is continuing its investigation into the incident. Sanchez was serving a one-year prison sentence on a third degree burglary conviction. He was scheduled to be released from prison on September 28.