Santa Rosa woman identified as inmate found dead at Sonoma County Jail

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Friday identified the female inmate who died of an apparent medical emergency Thursday at the county jail as a Santa Rosa woman.

Amber Marcotte, 34, was found unresponsive in her jail cell around 4:30 a.m. and pronounced dead about an hour later.

Marcotte had been in custody since July 10 on felony DUI charges and child endangerment, according to court records. She had been sentenced to six months in jail for similar charges in December, and violated probation with this most recent arrest, court records showed.

She was scheduled to appear in court for a sentencing hearing Friday morning.

Marcotte’s cellmate experienced a separate medical emergency Thursday morning, and is recovering at a local hospital, said Juan Valencia, a sheriff’s spokesman.

There were no signs of a physical altercation between the two cellmates, Valencia said. Drugs or alcohol could not be ruled out as the possible cause of death, until an internal investigation and autopsy by the Napa County Coroner’s Office are completed.

You can reach Staff Writer Yousef Baig at 707-521-5390 or yousef.baig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @YousefBaig.