Jailed Woman’s Death Blamed on Blood Clot
A blood clot is being blamed for the death of a 36-year-old Simi Valley woman who died over the weekend while in custody at Branch Jail Honor Farm in Ojai, authorities said.
An autopsy performed Sunday shows that Valerie Kay Wittkofsky died from a blood clot in her right coronary artery, said Ventura County Senior Medical Examiner Craig Stevens. Wittkofsky had a history of high blood pressure and heart disease, Stevens said.
Stevens said Wittkofsky had complained about chest pains to inmates earlier in the day. But it was not until about 5 p.m., when she was in the jail’s main dining hall, that she said anything about her condition to guards, authorities said.
She was pronounced dead a short time later at Ojai Valley Hospital.
Wittkofsky was jailed June 11 for possession of a controlled substance. Her 240-day sentence was up in October.
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