PHOENIX — Outside Estrella Jail, family and friends of Kiethsa Sasser gathered to release colorful balloons Thursday night, marking the somber anniversary of her death. The 29-year-old died from a drug overdose at the jail on August 14, 2024.
“Kiethsa, you are loved, you are not forgotten,” Jessica Johnson, her sister, said during the release.
Now the family is reigniting their calls for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to tackle overdose incidents. There have been 43 suspected overdoses at Estrella Jail this year, according to MCSO.
“It makes me angry, it makes me sad. It shows me that our system is broken, and that we need change,” Johnson said.
The medical examiner’s report provided by the family shows Sasser died from fentanyl and methamphetamine intoxication.
“It was shocking to know that there are drugs inside of the jail,” Johnson said. “It hurts a lot because I'm very involved in the recovery community, and that I couldn't help my sister. But most of all, it was just shocking that she had access to that type of substance and while incarcerated.”
This year alone, there have been 140 suspected overdoses in Maricopa County Jails, and four confirmed drug-related deaths, according to MCSO.
In February, ABC15 reported on 12 drug overdoses during one week at Estrella Jail. One 26-year-old inmate died. Three others could face charges for drug possession.
In Sasser’s 2024 case, MCSO says an investigation is ongoing, and it is still unclear how she obtained drugs.
“Having all substance, alcohol, all kinds of things in her system, it just makes me think that people that work in this jail aren't doing their jobs, because I don't know how they have access to having those items,” Johnson said.
Deputy Chief on the Detention Site Brandon Smith, says drugs are often smuggled in by the inmates.
“Based off evidence and what we're seeing, what we're getting from inmates, they're being brought in in body cavities,” Deputy Chief Smith said.
To fight that, the Intake Transfer and Release Center now has new body scanning technology, which went live on July 7.
“Since the body scanner went live in July, there's been seven inmates that we found drugs on,” Deputy Chief Smith said. “And there's been 17 that we found suspected drugs on that we told the agency, hey, we can't accept them right now.”
By mid-September, all jails will have the technology. However, under a new policy, Sheriff Jerry Sheridan implemented this year, employees will not be scanned.
Since those 12 overdoses at Estrella Jail in February, MCSO also added six members to its Jail Intelligence Unit, and now does two drug searches a month in the jails.
There are also mental health and rehab services.
“We're trying everything we can to prevent deaths and prevent overdoses in jail,” Deputy Chief Smith said.
He adds that the overdose trends seen in the jails follow the trends tracked by the Maricopa County Overdose Dashboard.
“It's happening in the community, it's happening in here,” Deputy Chief Smith said. “We're trying to find any way we can to stop that, because it's tragic all around, especially for the families.”
As Johnson grieves one victim of the crisis, she is channeling her pain into action through her nonprofit: Sass Foundation. It aims to help other families that have had a loved one die while incarcerated, providing funds for funeral services and legal assistance.
“If I or my family could stop this from happening to somebody else's family, we would do anything we could,” Johnson said.
To her, one death in jail is one too many.
