Woman Mysteriously Dies in Jail

Yesterday, the body of 37-year-old Ralkina Jones was discovered in a cell within Cleveland Heights’ jail. An autopsy found that Jones did not show any signs of suspicious injuries, but the medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of death. The state is investigating the apparent suicide of an inmate found hanging in a Brown County jail last week. They say paramedics had taken her for medical evaluation on Saturday night, then checked her again after midnight and found her vital signs to be normal. Ashford described Jones as being “perfectly fine” when she visited her July 25.

The family has repeatedly called the police department begging for more information since they heard the news, Ashford said. She was the oldest of seven children who grew up on Garfield Avenue on Cleveland’s East Side. She returned to the jail shortly before 11 p.m.

By Sunday morning, Jones was dead.