San Diego sheriff reports third in-custody death this year

Jeff McDonald, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Apr 26, 2025

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SAN DIEGO — An 82-year-old detainee in San Diego County jail died at a local hospital after receiving treatment for low blood pressure and a heart condition, the Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

Thomas Richard Heaven was awaiting sentencing on multiple counts of committing lewd acts on a minor last month when he began exhibiting symptoms of medical distress, officials said. He was transported from Central Jail to a local hospital, where he began treatment.

Heaven was transported to another facility earlier this month but died late Thursday. He was to be criminally sentenced on May 5, according to officials.

The case is being investigated by the sheriff’s Homicide Unit, and the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board will conduct a separate investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Heaven’s family has been notified of the death and a sheriff’s liaison officer was assigned to the case to help relatives, officials said. An autopsy was scheduled Saturday to determine the cause and manner of death.

The in-custody death is the third reported by the San Diego Sheriff’s Office this year.

The San Diego Sheriff’s Office has a history of people dying in custody, with more than 70 detainees dying in San Diego County jails since 2020, Sheriff’s Office records show.