Investigators from the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff and the DA’s Office are continuing to investigate an in custody death that occurred on Friday at the Martinez Detention Facility in Martinez.
The deceased inmate is identified as 63-year-old Michael James Graser of Pittsburg. He was arrested by the Pittsburg Police Department for burglary and a probation violation and was booked into jail on October 8, 2015.
At about 1:36 PM on Friday, a Deputy Sheriff discovered Graser hanging by a makeshift ligature in his cell. The Deputy removed the ligature and found Graser unresponsive. The Deputy and jail medical staff started CPR. The fire department and an ambulance arrived and continued with life-saving measures. Graser was later pronounced deceased.
An autopsy was conducted this morning. The cause of death is pending the results of toxicology tests.
