A cause of death has yet to be determined in the Wednesday, Oct. 26 death of Stanislaus County Jail inmate Luis Cardenas, 67, of Modesto.
Cardenas had been booked into the downtown jail at 2:30 p.m. by Modesto Police for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was dead hours later. Cardenas was in a cell alone and deputies conducted hourly checks on him. He was last seen responsive at 8:30 p.m. and at approximately 9:30 p.m. Cardenas was found unresponsive. Deputies began life saving measures and called for paramedics.
Prior to booking, Cardenas was evaluated and medically cleared by a doctor at an emergency room.
Emergency medical personnel arrived at the jail where Cardenas was pronounced deceased. Sheriff's' Department homicide detectives investigated the death. They said there was no use of force by deputies in the jail and that the cause of death will be determined by the Coroner's Office.