Inmate at JoCo detention center dies after being found unresponsive in her cell

An inmate at the Johnson County Detention Center Central Booking Facility in Olathe died after being found unresponsive in her cell Friday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

Detention Center staff found the inmate at 2:27 p.m. Friday, and lifesaving efforts were begun by jail staff and in-house medical staff, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. The Olathe Fire Department and Johnson County Med-Act also responded. Resuscitation efforts failed, and the inmate was pronounced dead at 3:05 p.m.

Authorities said the inmate had been incarcerated since Thursday and was being housed alone. Her name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

An investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sheriff’s Office remains ongoing.

On March 2, 59-year-old Wanda Denise Kendrick was found unconscious in her cell at the Johnson County Detention Center by staff conducting a morning welfare check and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital that afternoon. Authorities said Kendrick was alone in the cell and had been jailed since Feb. 23 on two counts of misdemeanor theft and one count of obstructing legal process.