Antioch man dies from apparent suicide while in custody at West County Detention Facility
Arrested for elder abuse, in jail since Oct. 2; Sheriff’s Office investigating
By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
On Saturday, October 17, 2020, at about 6:15 PM, a deputy sheriff escorted a Mental Health Clinician to speak with an inmate at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond.
As the deputy opened the door to the inmate’s cell, she found him unresponsive with a bed sheet wrapped around his neck. Deputies and jail medical staff provided life saving measures until an ambulance and the fire department arrived. The inmate was later pronounced deceased at the scene.
The inmate is identified as 42-year-old Gregory Lynds of Antioch. He was originally arrested by the Antioch Police Department and was booked into jail on October 2, 2020. He was being held on two felony counts of elder abuse (likely to produce great bodily harm or death), two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, parole violation, and battery on a peace officer.
The investigation into the apparent suicide is being investigated by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.