A Marin County Jail inmate who died over the weekend was identified as a Novato man charged with child molestation, authorities said Thursday.
A deputy found Carlos Alejandro Chi-Chi, 36, hanging in his cell at about noon Aug. 10. Paramedics took him to a hospital, and he died Sunday, said sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office includes both the jail and the coroner’s division, so it asked the San Rafael Police Department for an independent investigation of the death. Chi-Chi shared the jail cell with another inmate.
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The coroner’s division at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for the autopsy, disclosed Wednesday that the dead inmate was Chi-Chi. The cause of death is pending.
Novato police arrested Chi-Chi on July 28 at the Safeway in the Hamilton neighborhood. The jail booking log listed his occupation as produce manager. The log also listed an incorrect birth date that put Chi-Chi’s age at 45.
The Marin County District Attorney’s Office filed five felony counts, including raping a child. Investigators alleged the crimes happened over a period of about four years.
