A California sheriff has been outed to his department for leaving a homeless woman dying in a ditch despite being called out on a welfare check for the 43-year-old.
Irma Espinoza died after being discarded in a ditch, even after Good Samaritan Richard Quinones alerted the San Diego Sheriff's Office to her presence in the trench close to his home on the morning of July 29.
The sheriff who attended the call simply drove by the ditch and did not get out of his vehicle to check on the woman, according to an independent investigation report into the incident by the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB).
CLERB found that the sheriff, who has not been publicly identified, did not switch on his bodycam for the check, and even told Quinones over the phone: 'She is only a transient, don't worry about it, you're going to get more transients there.'
According to the report, Quinones, 69, first spotted Espinoza in the ditch behind his home in Lemon Grove on July 27 looking bedraggled and thirsty. He gave her two bottles of water.
Two days later, he checked on her again and asked if she needed help, to which she responded, 'yes'. At this point, Quinones called the sheriff's office to raise concerns for Espinoza's safety.
Dispatch records from July 29 show that he told the non-emergency line that he had seen a woman 'sitting in a ditch' who 'has not had food or water'.
'She's been sitting here for days,' he told the call handler.
Irma Espinoza (pictured), 43, died after being left in a ditch, even after Good Samaritan Richard Quinones alerted the San Diego Sheriff's Office to her presence in the trench close to his home
According to the report, Richard Quinones, 69, first spotted Irma Espinoza in the ditch behind his home in Lemon Grove on July 27 looking bedraggled and thirsty. He gave her two bottles of water and called the sheriff's office two days later, but she died on August 1
A deputy was dispatched to the area, but told colleagues he had not been able to locate Espinoza. However, Quinones said he saw a police SUV pull up, but drove away moments later.
CLERB's investigation report states that the worried citizen called the sheriff's office again, and the sheriff who responded to the call initially picked up.
He told Quinones: 'She is only a transient, don't worry about it, you're going to get more transients there', adding that the woman 'did not display any abnormal or notable signs except sitting outside'.
Quinones checked the ditch again two days later, on August 1, and was shocked to find Espinoza half-naked and partially submerged in water.
He called the sheriff's office again, and deputies who investigated were confronted by a grisly scene.
'Deputies and EMS personnel responded and found Espinoza in the ditch, not wearing pants, with bugs crawling on her body,' the CLERB report reads.
'Espinoza was transported to a nearby hospital where her condition worsened and, on 08-03-25, died.'
The woman suffered a heart attack on the way to the hospital and had to be resuscitated.
Irma Espinoza (pictured), 43, died after being left in a ditch, even after Good Samaritan Richard Quinones alerted the San Diego Sheriff's Office to her presence in the trench close to his home
CLERB investigators recommended the board find the deputy failed 'to take appropriate action on a condition deserving police attention.'
Board members are due to review the evidence and vote on whether it supports CLERB's finding later this week.
Espinoza's heartbroken family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming she died due to negligence by the sheriff's office.
They said that she was covered in bruises when she arrived at the hospital, and her body temperature was about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Medical Examiner's Office ruled that Espinoza died from complications caused by chronic alcohol use, a damaged liver and an inflamed pancreas.
Environmental exposure was also listed as a contributing factor, and her manner of death was given as 'accidental'.
