Second ICE detainee dies in Missouri this year

ST. GENEVIEVE, Mo. - A 34-year-old man from Mexico died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center, marking the second in-custody death reported in Missouri this year.

At the time of publishing, this would be the fifteenth in-custody death nationwide, according to data from ICE’s website.

Leo Cruz-Silva was pronounced dead at 3:47 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center after what appeared to be a suicide, according to an ICE statement released this week. 

Earlier that afternoon, a jail staff member discovered Cruz-Silva with a sheet tied around his neck, ICE said. Staff attempted CPR until Ste. Genevieve County emergency medical personnel arrived, but they were unable to revive him.

Cruz-Silva was transferred to ICE custody on Oct. 1 following his arrest by Festus police for public intoxication on Sept. 30. He was taken to the Ste. Genevieve County Jail two days later, and according to St. Louis Public Radio, died after spending about one day at the facility. 

ICE says that Cruz-Silva entered the United States at an unknown date and location. Records show he had previously been deported twice, once in 2011 and again in 2017, after arrests in Tennessee. He was also sent back to Mexico in 2020 after being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texas.

ICE said it notified the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Mexican consulate, as required by agency policy. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the death.

ICE says they remain committed to making sure that everyone in their custody are in safe, secure, and humane environments by providing comprehensive medical and mental health care to all individuals in custody.