Jackson County inmate, 22, died after ingesting ‘unknown substance:’ deputies
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a man who died following an incident at the county detention center Saturday.
Corrections officers at the Jackson County Detention Center at 1300 Cherry Street, were completing scheduled well-being checks around 2 a.m. Saturday when they found two men unresponsive in the same housing unit, according to a news release from Capt. Ronda Montgomery, staff services commander for the sheriff’s office.
Officers and on-site medical personnel performed life-saving measures on the men as paramedics from the Kansas City Fire Department made their way to the jail, Montgomery said.
Both men were transported to an area hospital where 22-year-old Rasaan Eason, of Kansas City, was later pronounced dead, Montgomery said. The other man, a 42-year-old from Independence, remains at the hospital Monday for observation.
A preliminary investigation led by the sheriff’s office indicates both men “ingested an unknown substance prior to becoming unresponsive,” Montgomery said in a news release Monday.
At the time of his death, Eason was being held at the detention center on a “new case warrant,” according to the jail’s inmate listing Monday.
The 22-year-old had one pending criminal case in Raytown, in which he was charged with one count of stealing in February 2023, according to court documents.
A warrant for Eason’s arrest was issued in June 2023 after he failed to appear for a court hearing.
The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause and manner of Eason’s death, Montgomery said. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
The Star’s Kendrick Calfee contributed reporting.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 4:22 PM.
