NEWS
Two inmates die at MDC in 48-hour span
18-year-old died Monday morning and man in his 30s died Tuesday afternoon, officials say
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Two men died behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in separate incidents over a two-day span.
Candace Hopkins, an MDC spokesperson, said a man in his 30s died Tuesday but gave no other details.
鈥淢ore information will be released as soon as it is available, and the next of kin notification has been completed,鈥� she said.
On Monday, an 18-year-old died at the facility, one month after he was booked.
A corrections officer found Derrick Benavidez around 4:49 a.m. in 鈥渕edical distress,鈥� Daniel Trujillo, another MDC spokesperson, said in a Tuesday news release.
MDC staff and the University of New Mexico Hospital medical team arrived and administered life-saving measures.
鈥淒espite these efforts, Mr. Benavidez was pronounced deceased at 5:34 a.m. by UNM Hospital staff,鈥� Trujillo said.
Trujillo said the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause of death. No additional details were given.
Benavidez and the man in his 30s were the sixth and seventh MDC inmates to die in 2026. The fifth was Andrew Witt, 45, who died inside a halfway house in early April 鈥渨hile serving his sentence on the Community Custody Program (CCP),鈥� Trujillo said.
Benavidez was booked into MDC on March 15 after being charged with breaking and entering, possession of drug paraphernalia and concealing his identity.
He was on probation at the time and 鈥� although he was released on his own recognizance on the new charges 鈥� Benavidez was ordered on April 8 to serve 鈥渁t least鈥� 45 days in jail for violating probation, according to court records.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
