LEWISTON, ID – The cause of death for a 38-year-old Lewiston woman who was found deceased at the Nez Perce County Adult Detention Center in early February has been determined to be due to a heart issue. Sheriff Bryce Scrimsher says the Spokane County Coroner concluded the autopsy for Chelsea Rohrback-Skinner and in the interest of transparency, the cause was determined to be arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a rare disease that is inherited.
“It is never easy to lose a loved one and it is even harder when answers cannot be provided immediately. I want to take a moment and thank the family for understanding this long process while we all waited for answers,” Scrimsher says.
Previous press release from February 2nd:
At approximately 6:30AM this morning, Nez Perce County Sheriff Detention Deputies were notified by inmates in the general population of an unconscious inmate. Detention Deputies rushed to the housing area and found Chelsea L Rohrback-Skinner (38 yoa, Lewiston) to be deceased. Ms. Rohrback-Skinner arrived at the Detention Center on 1/28/2023; and has been held in custody for a probation violation, pending her next court date set on 2/8/2023. The next of kin has been notified.
The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office immediately notified the Idaho State Police to investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident including but not limited to the cause and manner of death. My office will cooperate fully with the Idaho State Police during this investigation. It is my understanding an autopsy is pending. Any questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the Idaho State Police.
The Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an internal review of existing jail practices, protocols, and policies in conjunction with any medical evaluations of the decedent. I want the public to know that I take this occurrence in my jail seriously. As this internal investigation continues, I strive to be transparent about what happened while respecting the ongoing external investigation by an outside agency.
As soon as possible after the incident, I made counselors available to inmates and detention staff who may need assistance in handling this tragedy. Thank you to the inmates who called for help when one of their fellow inmates was in trouble.
Sheriff Bryce Scrimsher
