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San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office investigators say a death at the Maple Street Correctional Center on Sept. 29 was caused by another incarcerated woman giving the deceased drugs containing fentanyl.
Sheriff’s Office detectives believe that 34-year-old Ashley Gromnicki smuggled drugs containing fentanyl into the facility and provided them to Markeisha Monique Renee Blount, 31, leading to Blount’s death.
While the Coroner’s Office has yet to rule on an official cause of death, the Sheriff’s Office sent the case to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for potential prosecution for murder. Gromnicki, who was in custody and being held for an outside agency related to narcotics and theft, remains at the facility.
The District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Coroner’s Office are still investigating the death.
The Maple Street Correctional Facility has been near maximum capacity as inmates were transferred out of the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City due to elevator issues, which have suspended in-person visitation for months.
Following Blount’s death, the Sheriff’s Office said it has conducted additional sweeps of the facility to locate additional drugs. The Sheriff’s Office says it has a “multi-pronged approach” to prevent contraband from entering the facilities that include body scanning machines, K-9 units and search procedures.
Blount’s death is the seventh in-custody death since Sheriff Christina Corpus took office in January 2023. Kyle Harrison died at the Maple Street Correctional Facility in March from an overdose.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with Markeisha’s family and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” Corpus said in a statement. “Fentanyl is a highly dangerous drug. Even the smallest amount can be deadly. We will not tolerate people bringing drugs into our facility and putting the safety of our employees, visitors and those in our custody at risk.”
The Sheriff’s Office recently arrested parolee Brian Siordia, 27, for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine into the Maguire Correctional Facility. He has been charged 10 felonies and one enhancement.
