This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by phone at 988 or online at 988lifeline.org.
Public records have revealed new details about the final days of Juan Miguel Munoz Penalver, a 21-year-old who died last month while in custody at a jail in Louisville.
Officers with the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections said they found Munoz Penalver dead just before 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 26. Records obtained by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting provide additional insight into the circumstances leading up to his death.
The documents show that days earlier, jail staff placed Munoz Penalver on suicide watch for 24 hours. After that period, they required checks every 30 minutes. However, the records also indicate more than five hours passed between the time a cell camera showed him lying motionless on the ground and when staff discovered his body.
Munoz Penalver is among nearly two dozen people who have died in custody at the downtown jail since 2021.
Authorities said Louisville Metro Police Department arrested him on Feb. 14 in connection with an alleged assault. While in custody, records show he refused food, medical care, and medication, and allegedly spat at officers.
On Feb. 16, he attempted suicide, but officers intervened after seeing him on camera. Jail staff then placed him under suicide watch before later moving him to a single cell with periodic checks.
According to a police report, surveillance footage showed Munoz Penalver lying on the floor of his cell around 11:15 p.m. on Feb. 25 and not moving afterward. More than five hours later, corrections officers found him unresponsive. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
A spokesperson for LMDC declined to comment on whether staff conducted the required 30-minute checks during that time, citing the ongoing investigation.
“LMDC’s core mission is to protect the safety and well-being of the citizens of Jefferson County,” said Major Jason Logsdon in a statement, adding that releasing certain details could compromise the investigation.
Attorney Jon Little, who represents the family, said the apparent lapse in monitoring is consistent with concerns raised in other cases.
“That seems to be consistent with the other Louisville jail death case I have, where there was a lapse in them following their procedures at night,” he said.
ACLU of Kentucky spokesperson Angela Cooper called the findings “deeply concerning,” questioning whether jail staff followed proper procedures and emphasizing the need for better mental health care outside the jail system.
Separate investigations by LMDC and LMPD are ongoing. Police said preliminary information suggests Munoz Penalver may have died of natural causes, though a final determination is pending from the medical examiner. Jo-Ann Farmer said the autopsy has not yet been completed.
Family seeks answers and accountability
Munoz Penalver’s family continues to push for transparency. His stepmother, Ivelipse Munoz, has shared updates online, describing him as a young man with mental health struggles but a hopeful future.
“Juan Miguel — Miguel, as many knew him — was a young man with dreams, plans, and a future ahead of him,” she wrote. “Today our family is asking for answers, transparency, and justice.”
She said he had been undergoing a mental health episode at the time of his arrest and argued that the charges did not reflect what he was experiencing.
Court records show Munoz Penalver faced an assault charge with a $20,000 bond and was also subject to an immigration detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which allows authorities to request extended detention for possible deportation proceedings.
He was scheduled to appear in court the day he died. His family said they initially believed he had been transferred to federal custody before learning of his death.
Attorney Jon Little emphasized that all individuals deserve humane treatment while in custody.
“I think that even though people may be quote ‘illegal,’ they’re still people,” he said. “We’re going to be judged on how we treat the least among us.”
The family described Munoz Penalver as a hardworking young man whose death has left them devastated, as they continue to seek clarity about what happened during his final hours.
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