Conflicting Accounts Emerge in Death of 24-Year-Old Lincoln County Inmate; Jail Medical Oversight Questioned

CARRIZOZO, N.M. — Accounts of how a 24-year-old inmate died at the Lincoln County Detention Center on Monday, Sept. 28, now conflict. Questions are also growing about who, if anyone, is directing medical care at the jail.

AlamogordoTownNews.org and KALHRadio.org first reported the death as an apparent suicide, based on sources within the jail and the judiciary. Another jail staff member has since given a different account. That staff member says the inmate was a diabetic, was going through alcohol withdrawal, and died in a cell equipped with a camera. The staff member spoke on condition of anonymity with fear of retaliation from the Warden or operating company. .

The cause of death has not been officially determined. The Office of the Medical Investigator typically makes that finding. The inmate, who was reportedly being held on behalf of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, has not been identified.

Warden declines comment on death

In a phone interview with Anthony Lucero of the Alamogordo Town News streaming edition on KALHRadio.org, Warden Castleton declined to confirm or discuss the details of the death. The full interview is available on our YouTube page:

“Unfortunately, in situations like this, I’m not allowed to really give information,” the warden said. He explained that such cases go to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for investigation.

Asked about health care at the jail, the warden said, “Our healthcare providers are provided through WSI. It’s a company out of Colorado. … It’s a third-party contract that we have with them.”

What WSI says it does

WSI Healthcare Personnel Inc. describes itself as a staffing company, not a medical provider. According to its website, it places clinicians with facilities on a per diem, temp-to-hire or direct-hire basis. It says it has served communities since 1988.

The company’s own materials also address who is accountable for care. WSI’s website notes that facilities are still responsible for the quality of care even when they outsource staffing.

Staff member disputes warden’s account

A jail staff member employed through WSI echoed that description. The staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said WSI’s role is to supply personnel, not to run the jail’s medical program. “WSI has tried to place a medical provider at the jail, the staff member said, but no one has been willing to take the job given the pay and travel required.”

Asked who the jail’s current provider is, the staff member said, “There isn’t one. There is no medical provider providing medical orders.”

The staff member said the warden is relying on semantics in describing WSI’s role. They said the central question is who, if anyone, is issuing verbal or written orders for inmates’ medical care. For a diabetic inmate, that would include orders for blood glucose checks or insulin. The staff member said WSI’s chief executive is aware that the warden has attributed the jail’s medical care to the company.

AlamogordoTownNews.org has asked the county, the warden, jail operator Correctional Solutions Group, WSI and Sheriff Wood’s office to identify who currently issues medical orders at the facility. As of publication, none had responded but an update is expected on Wednesday. 

Why it matters

Inmates withdrawing from alcohol and inmates with diabetes both typically need medical monitoring under a provider’s orders. Whether any such orders were in place before Monday’s death is among the questions put to county and jail officials.

The death follows months of trouble at the jail. In recent months an inmate escaped, an inmate died by suicide in August, and another inmate attempted suicide in September. Over the same period, members of the jail’s health care provider left under questionable circumstances.

The budget CSG submitted to the county sets aside about $70,000 a year for a contract physician. It lists no funding for mental health tele-psychiatry.

The county is withholding records on the August death, citing an ongoing investigation. Those records include communications from health care staff in the 90 days before that death. The county says its next update on the records request will come in mid-December. On Tuesday, the news outlets sent a written demand to the county seeking faster release.

CSG, based in Tyler, Texas, is paid about $5.45 million a year to run the jail. Its contract expires Jan. 27, 2027, and county commissioners will soon decide whether to renew it.

A costly precedent

The jail’s record on inmate care has been costly before. The case of Natasha Bloos led to a $2.4 million settlement this year. A judge had ordered Bloos moved from the Lincoln County jail to the state women’s prison near Grants after earlier suicide attempts, finding the county facility could not give her the medical care or supervision she needed. She died by suicide at the prison about two weeks later.

This is a developing story and will be updated as officials respond.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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