Pittsburgh Institute for Non-Profit Journalism: “Anthony Talotta, 57, died Wednesday at UPMC Mercy Hospital after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Allegheny County Jail. Talotta, diagnosed with autism and intellectual disability, was rushed from the jail’s mental health unit. The jail released him from its custody hours before his death.
Talotta is the 17th man to die after entering the jail since the onset of the pandemic, the sixth such death in 2022. At least three men have suffered a fatal medical emergency in a mental health unit in the jail in under three years.”
“Jail staff reported Talotta’s death and custody release to the newsroom for fear that the jail would not report the death to the Jail Oversight Board or public. In the past, the jail has failed to report deaths of incarcerated individuals who died after a medical release and jail administrators have told the Jail Oversight Board that individuals who are medically released are “no longer on our count.”
