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The family of Kyle Harrison, a 25-year-old man who died inside the Maple Street Correctional Facility in March, plans to sue the county, claiming jail staff incorrectly gave Harrison methadone and did not check on him which led to his ultimate death.
According to a 70-page investigative report by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, Harrison was found unresponsive on his top bunk at the Maple Street Correctional Center around 4:49 p.m. on March 15. A deputy trainee who was the only officer on duty in the housing unit responded to an intercom call from other inmates, found Harrison unresponsive, and called a “Code Blue.” Two doses of Narcan were administered, but they had no effect, according to the report.
The county coroner determined Harrison died from the toxic effects of methadone, amitriptyline and gabapentin, ruling the death accidental. Harrison had valid prescriptions for amitriptyline for post-concussive syndrome and gabapentin for restless leg syndrome. However, he did not have a prescription for methadone, an opioid commonly used to treat addiction or severe pain.
“People don’t just take methadone to get high,” said attorney Jamie Goldstein, who is representing Harrison’s family. Goldstein claims that given the level of methadone in his system at his time of death, he likely received a therapeutic dose the previous evening.
The District Attorney’s investigation and the Sheriff’s Office investigation did not address how Harrison obtained methadone but noted it was a difficult drug for someone to share since it was a liquid and was required to be administered in front of jail staff.
An anonymous witness interviewed by prosecutors said Harrison had previously purchased Suboxone, a drug that treats opioid addiction, and “whatever other medication he could get” while incarcerated in 2024, allegedly stockpiling drugs “in case he was sentenced to prison and decided to commit suicide.”
Harrison was sentenced to prison a month before his death. However, investigators concluded the manner of death was accidental, not intentional
At the time of his death, Harrison’s unit was staffed by a single deputy-in-training, who was still attending the academy and had only been alone in a unit once before.
Body-worn camera footage reviewed by investigators shows that Harrison did not show up for his scheduled morning medication call around 10:30 a.m. and while the deputy-in-training was going to ask if he planned to take his medication, he got distracted when his food arrived.
Harrison was last seen alive by jail staff at 6 a.m. during a daily check of inmates. It is the only count that requires jail staff to verify if an inmate is alive. Harrison was seen on security cameras using the restroom shortly after but remained in his bed the rest of the day.
Goldstein claims that if jail staff checked on Harrison at 10:30 a.m., they would have seen something was wrong and been able to get medical attention.
“I think that the people they have in the jail are not being properly vetted, hired, as well as trained and supervised. The reason for saying that is not only just the news that comes out and the problems that have come out related to the jail and understaffing. It’s also the fact that Harrison was given medication that he was never prescribed and never should have been given.” Goldstein said. “So I’m not sure who was doing that yet, or how that happened, but that tells me someone wasn’t properly trained, because you can’t get that wrong.”
Harrison’s death was the sixth in-custody death during the tenure of former Sheriff Christina Corpus.
“People wind up incarcerated and people wind up in jail for various reasons. Kyle, like others, wound up there because he made a bad decision, and he was paying for that decision, but by no means was he given a death sentence,” Goldstein said. “Ultimately, the failures on behalf of the County and their employees resulting in his death were avoidable and should have never been an issue to start with if someone were just doing their job and paying attention.”
Harrison was jailed after a street racing crash killed a San Carlos couple. While Harrison did not collide with the family’s vehicle, the juvenile he was racing did. Harrison was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Before filing a lawsuit, Harrison’s family was required to file a claim with the county. The county denied that claim, which asked for more than $10 million, in October.
“(Harrison’s) presence in the family was immense. This is a family that spent holidays together, would talk together all the time. They were a close knit family, and these are parents that are devastated, rightfully so,” Goldstein said. “What happened to Kyle and the circumstances for him being in jail, the whole situation is just all around tragic. It’s tragic for the other family. My heart goes out to them.”
Goldstein said she expects the family’s lawsuit will be filed in November.
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