Man who died at Allegheny County Jail identified
An incarcerated man was found unresponsive in his cell at the Allegheny County Jail this week, and he was pronounced dead shortly after.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has identified him as 39-year-old Victor Joseph Zilinek. A cause or manner of death was not released.
Zelinik is the fourth incarcerated individual to die at the jail this year. There have been 15 deaths at the jail since the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Allegheny County Councilor at-large Bethany Hallam is a member of the Jail Oversight Board and a formerly incarcerated individual. She tweeted her condolences on July 13 when the death was first announced.
“Another life stolen inside the walls of the death trap that is the Allegheny County Jail,” wrote Hallam.I don’t even have words anymore. This breaks my heart.”
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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