Crime & Law

Detainee Killed in Fire Inside Cook County Jail Cell

A man in custody at Cook County Jail died after a fire began inside his cell last week, according to county officials.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced that Martinez Duncan died after a fire broke out in the jail’s residential treatment unit last Thursday.

According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, Duncan and his cellmate were pulled from their cell around 7:15 p.m.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but a preliminary review by the sheriff’s office found that one of the men appeared to have obtained a lit wick — which officials described as a smoldering portion of tightly wound toilet paper commonly used to smoke illegal drugs — that appears to have started the fire.

After Duncan and his cellmate were removed from the area, they were escorted under their own power to a separate area to await examination by medical staff, officials said. While inside a holding area, Duncan became unresponsive and was rushed to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

According to the sheriff’s office, Duncan was charged earlier this month on multiple counts of aggravated battery for allegedly stabbing a family member and a responding Chicago police officer.

The sheriff’s office and the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force are investigating the incident.

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