A woman has died at the Tarrant County Jail this weekend 鈥� marking the 6th death at the county jail this year.
Gemma Leigh Swingle, 36, died at the county jail Saturday at 2:19 a.m., according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's website. Her cause and manner of death were pending as of Sunday.
Detention officers conducted a routine check of Swingle's cell at 1:04 a.m. and "noted she was ok," according to a press release from the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. Swingle was found unresponsive during another check at 1:39 a.m., and that's when the press release said officers began life saving measures.
Swingle was booked into Tarrant County Jail Aug. 25 on a prostitution charge, court records show.
All in-custody deaths are investigated by Tarrant County Sheriff鈥檚 Office jail staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations Division, an outside law enforcement agency, JPS Medical Staff, Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office and the Texas Attorney General鈥檚 Office.
The Haltom City Police Department is investigating her death, according to the medical examiner's website.
There's been more than 80 jail deaths since 2017 when Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office.
The county jail and sheriff's office have faced increased scrutiny over jail deaths this year, demanding more accountability and details surrounding other deaths this year.
This story has been updated to include information from the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
Penelope Rivera is 四虎影院's Tarrant County Accountability Reporter. Email Penelope at privera@kera.org at erivas@kera.org.
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