The man convicted in the drag-racing deaths of a San Carlos couple died in the San Mateo County jail in March due to a toxic mix of medications, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Kyle Harrison, 25, is one of six county jail inmates to die during the 29-month watch of County Sheriff Christina Corpus, who faces firing for various allegations of misconduct.
On March 15, just before 5 p.m., deputies at the Maple Street Correctional Center were told that an inmate was unresponsive in a housing unit. Medical employees attempted to revive Harrison, but he died. He was days away from being transferred to state prison.
According to the medical examiner, Harrison died by accident after ingesting methadone, amitriptyline and gabapentin.
• Methadone, an opioid, is a medication used to treat opioid addicts.
• Amitriptyline is an antidepressant used to treat depression. It works by increasing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which are needed to maintain mental balance.
• Gabapentin is a prescription medication used to treat epilepsy, neuropathy (nerve pain) and Restless Legs Syndrome.
The Sheriff’s Office did not say if the medications were administered by the jail.
Harrison was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and had recently been sentenced to 8 years in prison for the deaths of a San Carlos couple who were killed in a collision caused when he engaged in street racing in 2022 in Redwood City, according to the District Attorney’s Office. The collision orphaned two 7-year-old twins who miraculously survived the crash.
Harrison’s death will undergo an independent investigation by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Those who died while Corpus was sheriff were:
• Maycarla Sulapas, 25, of South San Francisco, who was jailed for attacking a relative and acting erratically including being naked in the street. She had lethal levels of meth in her system when she died Jan. 7, 2023, the District Attorney’s office said.
• Peter Edward McLaughlin, 64 of Pacifica, who was arrested for threatening another person with a firearm. He died in the jail on Oct. 20, 2023 from brain cancer, which hadn’t been diagnosed previously.
• Ronald Simmons, 34, of San Bruno, who had been arrested for battery and making criminal threats. Authorities said Simmons had a history of depression and his death on Oct. 21, 2023 was ruled a suicide.
• Anthony Harding, 23, of Oakland, died Jan. 14, 2024 in the jail’s drug detox unit after his arrest for misappropriating lost property and resisting arrest.
• Hunter Bergner, 46, of Redwood City, died March 15, 2024 of an apparent suicide, though the final cause hasn’t been released. He was arrested for violating a protective order and possessing a gun against a court order.
But we fully staffed according to the sheriff. Helps if you staff the jails with actually qualified people and not DEI hires or anyone who decides to apply.