An inmate died after staff at the Waxahachie jail found him unconscious in his cell. The Texas Rangers are now investigating the incident.
Vince Lee Espino, 42, was found unconscious in his cell at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center on November 11, according to a statement from Ellis County Sheriff Brad Norman. The inmate reportedly had a “self-inflicted injury.”
“Our nursing staff immediately responded and rendered aid until emergency medical services arrived,” Norman said.
Responders brought him to Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Waxahachie, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the release.
“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Espino, and we remain committed to full cooperation with the investigative process,” Norman said.
Norman requested that the Texas Rangers conduct an independent investigation, as standard practice. Meanwhile, he said, the sheriff’s office would not release any additional information.
The Ennis Police Department arrested Espino in October for “narcotics-related charges,” according to Norman.
An inmate attacked and killed Ellis County Detention Officer Isaiah Bias in December 2024, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. According to WFAA, another inmate gave birth to a baby on the jail floor in 2018, and the child later died.
The Dallas Police Department investigated an inmate’s death after a medical emergency in September, as The Dallas Express reported. In January, an inmate was also found dead in a North Richland Hills jail cell. In summer 2024, a rash of inmate deaths in North Texas county jails raised mental health concerns.
