Inquest jury finds man died in custody due to natural causes

A jury in a Contra Costa County coroner’s inquest attributed the 2018 death of a Concord man to natural causes, sheriff’s officials announced Friday.

Dwight Dunn, 61, was found dead at the Martinez Detention Facility at about 2:50 p.m. on Sept. 15 by a sheriff’s deputy conducting a room check. Fire crews and an ambulance arrived, but Dunn was later pronounced dead.

Dunn had been booked into jail on Sept. 5 for a parole violation, according to the sheriff’s office.

The jury reached their verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses, sheriff’s officials said.

The coroner convenes inquests any time a person’s death involves a peace officer.

Juries have the option to rule a death an accident, a suicide, a result of natural causes, or a non-accidental death at the hands of another person.