At the time, authorities said there was no indication of foul play or self-harm.<\/p>\n
According to her autopsy report, she died as a result of withdrawal after using multiple drugs within a short period of time.<\/p>\n
The Sheriff\u2019s Office said no evidence suggested she used illicit drugs after her arrest.<\/p>\n
The El Paso County Coroner\u2019s Office reported that Enlow said she had used fentanyl two days prior to her death. The day before her death, she was examined by medical staff and had \u201cmild\u201d withdrawal symptoms and screened positive for meth, cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl and other drugs.<\/p>\n
That night, multiple inmates said she appeared \u201cunwell\u201d and had been vomiting throughout the night, according to the report. She was found dead the next morning. <\/p>\n
The Coroner\u2019s Office didn\u2019t note any other possible medical intervention made by staff after she was screened for drugs.<\/p>\n
The autopsy alleges that an employee from the Sheriff\u2019s Office says medical records had been \u201caltered\u201d by medical staff after learning of Enlow\u2019s death. The Coroner\u2019s Office noted that it requested an elaboration on the claim but never heard back.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould additional information become available, the cause and manner of death may be amended,\u201d the autopsy says.<\/p>\n
Sheriff\u2019s Office spokeswoman Cassandra Sebastian said they are aware of the comment in the report, but evidence indicated the medical records were not altered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical charting was completed within the same shift that care was provided and before her death, which is consistent with the medical provider\u2019s standard practices,\u201d Sebastian said in an email. <\/p>\n
She said Sheriff\u2019s Office and coroner employees work closely on a wide range of cases, and requests on elaboration are \u201ctypically\u201d addressed \u201cpromptly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is currently unclear where the communication gap occurred in this case, but both agencies are working to ensure the history of effective collaboration continues in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Coroner\u2019s Office declined a request to comment.<\/p>\n
Paula Orth<\/p>\n
Paula Orth, 47, was found unresponsive in her cell the evening of July 24. Life-saving efforts were made for more than 40 minutes, but she was pronounced dead after over an hour.<\/p>\n
The booking report shows she was arrested on July 22 on suspicion of second-degree burglary charges.<\/p>\n
The coroner ruled that she died as a result of fentanyl and meth intoxication. According to her autopsy, she had a history of opioid and stimulant abuse documented within the jail and hospital records. Obesity is also believed to have been a contributor.<\/p>\n
It was also determined she had pulmonary edema, a condition that causes fluid to build up in the lungs\u2019 air sacs and makes breathing difficult.<\/p>\n
Dequan Ward<\/p>\n
Dequan Ward, 38, was found unresponsive<\/a> inside his bunk bed by deputies and medical staff in the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 15. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later after lifesaving efforts were made, the Sheriff\u2019s Office announced at the time. <\/p>\n The booking report shows he was arrested July 22 on suspicion of violating his parole.<\/p>\n According to his autopsy, Ward died as a result of ventricular cardiac fibrosis, an abnormal buildup of scar tissue in the heart, which he had a history of. The coroner also found that he had high blood pressure and was suffering from meth and fentanyl withdrawals.<\/p>\n While his drug levels weren\u2019t high enough to count as drug intoxication, the coroner said in the report that an \u201cabnormal\u201d heart, coupled with the physiological stress of withdrawal, was \u201clikely\u201d a contributing factor to his death.<\/p>\n Ward reported feeling \u201csick\u201d to officers the day before his death and had been detoxing at the jail, according to the report. <\/p>\n The coroner doesn\u2019t note any other possible medical intervention made by staff after he reported feeling sick.<\/p>\n Problems within the jail<\/p>\n Sebastian said illicit drug use and medical conditions impacted by it remain a \u201cdistressingly persistent\u201d cause of death in detention facilities nationwide.<\/p>\n \u201cEPSO has worked closely with the County\u2019s contract medical provider to ensure medically managed withdrawal protocols are in place for the incarcerated population,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n The deaths also follow a history of wrongful death lawsuits filed against the jail and former health care provider Wellpath.<\/p>\n Most recently, Elizabeth Naranjo, 48, won a $2.5 million lawsuit<\/a> against the county for her brother\u2019s death. She is still in litigation against the troubled health care provider, which has had about 1,500 lawsuits filed against it, including several from El Paso County.<\/p>\n More than 20 incarcerated people, including her brother, died<\/a> during Wellpath\u2019s tenure providing health care at the El Paso County jail from 2020 to 2023.<\/p>\n Ever since, the county switched jail health providers to VitalCore and reported fewer deaths. While deaths are down, attorneys<\/a> previously told The Gazette they are skeptical that conditions have improved.<\/p>\n The county\u2019s 2024 contract with VitalCore states the company will provide a registered nurse 24\/7, a physician 40 hours per week, a psychiatrist eight hours per week and a psychiatric nurse who can prescribe medications 80 hours per week.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the wake of the increased violence and pubic outcry over inmate deaths, the jail also introduced new safety measures and incentive programs to encourage good behavior, The Gazette previously reported.<\/p>\n The jail installed new body scanners and added multiple safety measures to prevent suicides. Some incentives added include carts filled with games, puzzles and markers.<\/p>\n Inmates can earn these by completing simple tasks such as making their bed, keeping their living area clean and being respectful to others. Wards that do well over the course of a month can earn movie nights with soda.<\/p>\n Since taking office in January 2023, Sheriff Joe Roybal changed the unit leading the investigation into a jail death to the same unit that investigates deaths for the county \u2014 the Investigations Division under the Law Enforcement Bureau, according to Sebastian.<\/p>\n Sebastian said the jail also has \u201cmany layers\u201d of security to reduce opportunities for drugs to enter the jail, including the body scanners and a drug amnesty program to promote voluntary surrender of contraband.<\/p>\n
![\"Alexander](\"https:\/\/gazette.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/a7ab69752fe067b3f21d0228875a0f72-scaled.jpg\")
Alexander Ruiz, 40, who used to be a gang leader, center, stands in line for a cupcake after he receives a certificate with 12 others at the El Paso County Jail after graduating from the Pikes Peak Community College\u2019s Growth and Leadership Life Skills Training Series in Colorado Springs on Thursday, Feb. 6. The program\u2019s goal is teaching how to effectively reinvent their lives to improve outcomes after their releases from jail. (Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
<\/p>\n