California inmate dies from allegedly drinking a 'profuse amount' of water

A California inmate died while in custody from drinking too much water, authorities said, according to Fox News.

A 26-year-old was in custody at an Alameda County facility and was assigned to the Santa Rita Jail's Restrictive Housing Unit "due to extensive assaultive history on staff," officials reportedly said.

The man was also reportedly the only inmate in his cell.

The inmate, who was booked into the jail in March 2023 for undisclosed reasons, died on April 27, 2023. An Alameda County Sheriff's Office official told Fox 2 San Francisco that the inmate was seen drinking a "profuse amount of water" before vomiting around 10:30 a.m. on the day of his death.

The vomiting caused officials to take the prisoner to a medical housing unit, and when a deputy went to check on the man at 3:25 p.m., he was unresponsive. Paramedics could not resuscitate the man, and he was declared dead at 4:05 p.m.

The prisoner told the staff that he had used a controlled substance the day before his arrest the previous month, but it was determined that the inmate's drug use was not an issue when he was first booked into jail.

"Despite his admitted drug use, there was no cause for concern found during the medical and mental health intake process," the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said.

The Alameda County Coroner's Bureau is investigating the cause of the inmate's death.

Excessive drinking of water can cause death in some cases from what is called "water intoxication," which causes an electrolyte imbalance "resulting in a rapid decrease in serum sodium concentration and eventual death," according to the National Library of Medicine.

A famous case of water intoxication happened in 2007 when a woman died after a contest at a California radio station. The radio station held a water-drinking event for contestants to win a Nintendo Wii video game system. Participants were given eight-ounce bottles to drink every 15 minutes.

A work colleague said that the woman went home sick saying that her head was hurting hours after the contest had taken place. The woman was never seen again. Jennifer Strange was found dead at her home in the coming days from conditions "consistent with water intoxication."

Early signs of water intoxication can include confusion, disorientation, nausea, and vomiting.

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