A young member of the Sky Valley community has died in the Snohomish County Jail.
Sultan resident Travis A. Nelson-Martinez, who was known as Travis Nelson, was arrested on outstanding warrants on Tuesday, Sept. 2 and booked into Snohomish County Jail.
Nelson was being held on warrants related to misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass in the 2nd degree, 3rd degree theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. On Tuesday, Sept. 9, at approximately 11:30 p.m., he was found unresponsive in his cell.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death as a suicide caused by hanging.
Nelson was found during the regular observational patrol made by correctional officers, which occurs every 30 minutes. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Snohomish County Sheriff's Department Director of Communications Shari Ireton shared that, during his intake, Nelson presented no indications of distress and gave jail officials no cause for concern. He was put into general population.
The 19-year-old was expecting a child with his girlfriend, Rachel Henry. Henry is due in October.
Sultan resident Carol Ann Spurr, Nelson's mom, described her son as a "good kid with a troubled soul.GÇ¥ He liked to read and he enjoyed spending time with his younger brother; although he had been distant from his family for about the past year. Despite her son's troubles, he had many people who cared about him.
"I loved him so very much,GÇ¥ said Spurr. "He was loved by his girlfriend, too.GÇ¥
Spurr shared that her son suffered from depression and that his condition worsened significantly last year after he lost a close family friend named Mike Kelly. She explained that Nelson had difficulty processing the loss of Kelly, who passed away in March of 2013. Nelson had looked up to him as a father-figure.
She is concerned about what happened at the jail and doesn't understand how her son was able to hurt himself.
"Depression is a bad thing,GÇ¥ said Spurr. "He needed help.GÇ¥
There have been at least 10 deaths which have occurred at the Snohomish County Jail within the past four years, plus another inmate who attempted suicide while in jail and was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
Spurr had hope for her son and thought that maybe a stay in jail would help break his current cycle. "He was going to be a dad in October,GÇ¥ she said.
She is not planning on holding a memorial service.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment