A 40-year-old Rikers Island detainee died Tuesday morning, marking the second death in city jail custody in less than 24 hours, THE CITY has learned.
The detainee, who was arrested May 5 and was awaiting trial on felony robbery and narcotics charges, has not yet been publicly identified because authorities are still notifying family members.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
The death came as Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards and federal jail remediation manager Nicholas Deml were in Germany touring correctional facilities there, according to a source familiar with the trip.
On Monday, 41-year-old Rajpattie Ramkellawan died at the Rose M. Singer Center following what the Department of Correction described as a medical emergency.
Criminal justice reform advocates protest against detainee deaths at Rikers Island, Feb. 28, 2022. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
In a statement released Monday, Ramkellawan’s attorney described her as “gentle and kind” and said she struggled throughout her life with severe behavioral health challenges stemming from trauma and adversity.
She lost a sibling in a car crash and a young child, according to the defense attorney. On Friday, she underwent a so-called 730 exam to see if she was mentally unfit to stand trial.
“She never lost her childlike innocence despite encountering unimaginable trauma and adversity,” said Katherine LeGeros Bajuk, a mental health attorney specialist with New York County Defender Services. “Her legal team is devastated by this tragedy, and our hearts go out to her loving and supportive family.”
Ramkellawan was in jail since March while she awaited trial on robbery charges, according to court records.
All told, four people have died in city jail custody so far this year, after 15 deaths in 2025, five in 2024, nine in 2023 and 19 in 2022.
Margaret Egan, the former executive director of the city’s Board of Correction, is serving as acting commissioner during Richards’ trip abroad.
The city Department of Correction did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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