In the wake of Texas woman Sandra Bland's death investigation, another black woman has died while in police custody. 37-year-old Ralkina Jones was found dead at the Cleveland Heights jail Sunday after being arrested Friday (July 24), for a domestic dispute with her husband at his place of employment.
Jones was facing a number of chargers including domestic violence, assault, endangering a child and criminal mischief. Cleveland Heights police say Jones and her husband Brandon were involved in a dispute at the Save-A-Lot, where she allegedly hit him with a tire iron while their 12 year old daughter was in the backseat.
Jones had health problems according to her family which included a heart murmur and a brain aneurysm. She was was taken to hospital Saturday evening and released shortly after, then checked once again on Sunday afternoon. Police state they periodically checked on her throughout the day. Jones was found dead in her cell Sunday morning at 7:30am.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Jones' body Monday and identified "no suspicious injuries". The actual cause of death is still pending.
Ralkina's sister spoke out in the wake of her death and revealed that she was "fine" the day before she was found dead. She added that Ralkina would want them to find out why she passed away, and you can hear more from her side in the above video.
Source: 19 Action News
