A man who died in a Long Beach jail cell was killed by an overdose when a bag of drugs he had hidden in his rectum ruptured, according to a recently released autopsy from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Steven Alfred Price was arrested and taken to Long Beach Jail the morning of June 12 after LBPD officers detained him for questioning and determined he was in violation of his parole, according to statements the department gave to the medical examiner’s office for the autopsy.
The following day, Price was returning to the bunk of a holding cell after using the restroom when he started having a seizure, investigators told the medical examiner’s office.
“The shaking increased in frequency and intensity until (Price) apparently stopped breathing,” the investigators said.
Jail staff found Price unresponsive while conducting inmate safety checks, according to authorities. After more than 40 minutes of rescuers trying to save his life, Price was pronounced dead, according to the report.
During an autopsy, the medical examiner’s office discovered that a plastic bag containing drugs had ruptured inside Price’s rectum and caused him to overdose, according to the report.
Traces of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine were found in his blood and the medical examiner ruled he had accidentally died from its effects, according to the report.
According to authorities, Price had a history of drug abuse. Police told the medical examiner that after his arrest, they searched his car and found methamphetamine and a syringe.
Price is the only person who has died in the Long Beach Jail this year, according to the LBPD.