Inmate dies one week after being booked into MDC

A man charged with choking his wife during a fight with family members died in custody a week after being booked into the Bernalillo County jail. 

Jason McCoy, 46, died early Monday, according to a news release from Metropolitan Detention Center spokesperson Candace Hopkins. He was booked into the jail on Jan. 27.

A corrections officer found McCoy "in distress" around 4:15 a.m., Hopkins said. 

MDC staff and a medical team with the University of New Mexico Hospital initiated medical treatment, she said. An ambulance and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office arrived around 4:50 a.m., but McCoy died roughly 20 minutes later. 

Hopkins said the state Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause of death.

"In accordance with standard procedures, the incident is under investigation by the MDC Office of Professional Standards," Hopkins said.

McCoy is the second MDC inmate to die in 2026. The first, 39-year-old Justin Stone, died in early January after what appeared to be a suicide attempt inside the jail.

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.