Autopsy scheduled for Texas woman found unresponsive Friday in Lake County jail cell

An autopsy is scheduled Monday for a 24-year-old woman from Grand Prairie, Texas, found unresponsive in her cell at the Lake County jail, authorities said.

According to Lake County sheriff's Deputy Chief Chris Covelli, a corrections officer was conducting routine rounds about 2:30 p.m. Friday in the jail's medical pod when he saw the woman on the bed with her eyes closed and her chest not rising.

The officer immediately opened the door and found the inmate unresponsive and without a pulse, Covelli said. CPR and an automated external defibrillator were used until paramedics arrived, he added. The woman was taken to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan where she was pronounced dead.

The woman, who was not identified, has been in custody since July 1 on charges of aggravated battery to a child, Covelli said.

She recently was found unfit to stand trial and the jail was waiting for space to become available at the Illinois Department of Human Services so she could be transferred for "fitness restoration treatment," Covelli said.

While waiting, the woman was assigned to a single-inmate pod at the Lake County jail. The cell door was closed and no other inmates were in the area, according to Covelli. The inmate appeared OK when rounds were made at least 30 minutes earlier, he added.

Covelli said the woman had several underlying health conditions and there didn't appear to be any suspicious marks or injuries on her body.

Per protocol, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force will conduct an independent investigation, Covelli said.