Amid jail deaths spike, groups call for splitting coroner from Riverside Sheriff’s Office

Amid jail deaths spike, groups call for splitting coroner from Riverside Sheriff’s Office

In summary A coalition of civil rights groups says the offices of sheriff and coroner should be separate, so there is impartiality when investigating in-custody or jail deaths. After her son, Richard Matus, died in a Riverside jail cell in 2022, Lisa Matus became convinced the county’s system for handling death investigations needed an overhaul. Richard Matus, who was 29, had been in jail four years and had felt sick and dizzy. He was prescribed…