Another Person Has Died in Custody at Multnomah County Jail

Tera Anne Harris, 51, died yesterday in Portland’s downtown jail. She was found unresponsive in her cell at 5:10 pm. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is investigating but has not released the cause of death.

Jail records reviewed by WW indicate that Harris was being treated for a serious health condition. The morning of her death, she complained of shortness of breath and was seen by county medical staff. The prior day, she had refused to go to an outside medical appointment, according to deputy notes, and later said she felt like she was going to pass out.

The sheriff’s office has declined to respond to WW’s request for information about Harris’ death. Instead, it issued a press release saying it would give out “no further information” while the investigation was ongoing.

Harris’ death marks the seventh in Multnomah County jail custody in 2023. That’s more than the prior five years combined. As of the beginning of this month, there had been only one death in Washington and Clackamas county jails combined.

Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell has cited various factors contributing to the rising death toll, including the fentanyl being snuck into the facilities and the serious mental health needs of the people being held there.

The jails are currently short staffed, limiting the time inmates can be allowed out of their cells. Meanwhile, jail nurses, who are employed by the county, are in such short supply that they’re being forced to work mandatory overtime—16-hour shifts.

It is not clear what health problems Harris had. She had been given a psychiatric evaluation while in jail last year after her defense attorney raised concerns she wasn’t mentally capable of contributing to her own defense, but those concerns were later dropped after Harris petitioned for a new attorney.

“I’m devastated,” her latest attorney, Alicia Hercher, tells WW. “She had several health problems. I had no reason to believe that any would be fatal.”

Harris had been in county jail in 2021 after running over her ex-husband with her car. He’d just been released from prison and had come to her home and attacked her, she told police. They talked to her daughter, who said the two had a history of domestic violence. Harris was initially booked into the jail on murder charges, although these were later reduced to manslaughter and Harris was released to await trial.

But in December 2021, prosecutors asked for Harris to be returned to jail, citing a history of violent behavior and her failure to enroll in a residential treatment program. Her trial was set for February.