HOUSTON – More questions are surrounding the Harris County jail this morning, after another inmate died in custody.
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According to the Texas Jail Commission, there have already been more deaths in the jail this year than in all of 2024.
So far in 2025, as many as 12 inmates have died while in custody in Harris County Jail, surpassing the total number of 10 in all of 2024. This also comes as three inmates died just over 2 weeks before.
The latest death was Harold Alexander Jr., 62, in custody for misdemeanor charges. He died on the night of July 10 when detention officers reportedly found Alexander unresponsive on his mattress.
Detention officers reportedly found Alexander unresponsive on his mattress, where they performed CPR. He later died in the jail clinic.
Alexander had been in custody since his arrest on June 25 on a harassment charge. The medical examiner is performing an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says they notified the Texas Commission on Jail Standards about his death.
This was just weeks after three inmates reportedly died within 48 hours. One of those inmates was 35-year-old Ronald Pate.
His family attorney says staff gave him medication after he became “agitated.” He apparently started having seizures and went into cardiac arrest before he died at Ben Taub Hospital.
Court records show he was in jail for 13 days for possession of a controlled substance.
Civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen is calling for the release of jail surveillance videos and Pate’s medical records.
“So we are looking for answers. We want Sheriff Gonzales to release the videos, and we also need the Texas Rangers to investigate. The Texas Rangers always used to investigate jail deaths. But then it switched to the Houston Police Department.
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The Texas Commission on Jail Standards has been notified of the deaths, and the Texas Rangers are investigating, as required by state law mandating an outside law enforcement agency probe all jail deaths.
Alexander’s cause of death has not been released at this time, and an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will determine that information.
Alexander’s passing is the latest in a pattern of inmate deaths connected to Harris County Jail over the summer.
