Texas Rangers

Woman Dies in Custody of Tarrant County Sheriff's Office: Officials

The Texas Rangers are investigating the death of a Haltom City woman who died while in custody of Tarrant County Sheriff's Office last week, officials say.

Jennifer Espinoza, 37, died about 4 p.m. Jan. 16 at John Peter Smith Hospital. Her cause of death remains pending, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.

Espinoza was jailed Jan. 10 and began to detox from "some type of illegal drug" from her booking date until Jan. 15, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office released Tuesday a timeline of Espinoza's movements on Jan. 15.

At 1:48 p.m., Espinoza left her cell to the use phone, returning 17 minutes later, according to the timeline. At 2:22 p.m., personnel performed an observation check on her and did not report any issues.

However, at 2:51, officers doing an observation check called for an inmate emergency and medical arrived three minutes later.

"Any death is a tragedy," Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in a statement. "I believe our officers did everything they could to prolong Ms. Espinoza's life."

The Texas Rangers were asked to investigate the case, per in-custody death protocol.

No other information has been confirmed about the woman's death including what led to her being hospitalized.

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