A 29-year-old West Sacramento man who died while in custody at the Yolo County Jail in May succumbed to a cerebral edema brought on by water intoxication, the Yolo County Coroner’s Office announced Friday.
Todd Alexander Phillips was discovered in his cell on May 18, the day of his death, struggling to breathe, in an “agitated” state, according to a May 20 news release from Sheriff’s Lt. Dale Johnson.
Johnson said officers placed Phillips in restraints “for safety reasons” while medical staff responded to the cell. Phillips was transported to Woodland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A coroner’s toxicology report revealed the cause of his cerebral edema was acute hyponatremia, a sharp drop in the brain’s sodium levels, and water intoxication.
Head injuries may alter water, sodium and potassium levels inside the brain, thus increasing the amount of pressure inside the skull. Such symptoms also may be the result of drinking an unusually high amount of water.
But the exact reason for Phillips’ edema remains unknown, as the Coroner’s Office announced that it could not determine the manner of death after making findings on the cause in the toxicology report. Phillips’ manner of death has officially been classified “undetermined,” and his case is closed.
Phillips initially was booked into the jail on April 12, after he arrested by West Sacramento police on unspecified felony and misdemeanor charges. His pretrial hearing would have been June 11.