Aug. 03--A New York woman's mysterious death in custody last week will be investigated by the state attorney general's office, marking the first use of a new state law that expands independent oversight of deaths involving police, officials said Monday.
Raynette Turner, 42, a mother of eight, was found dead in a cell at Mount Vernon police headquarters last Monday after being arrested July 25 on suspicion of misdemeanor shoplifting in the New York City suburb, according to local news reports.
After her arrest, Turner was taken to a hospital the next day for treatment after she complained of an unknown illness before being returned to police custody, police said. The cause of her death is not yet known.
"Today, the Attorney General [Eric Schneiderman] informed my office that he intends to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute any unlawful acts arising from the death of Raynette Turner, who died last week while in the custody of the Mount Vernon Police Department," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
"Ms. Turner's death is a tragedy for her loved ones, and it raises questions not just from her family, but from her neighbors, elected officials, community members and the media -- questions that deserve answers," Cuomo said.
Following national outrage driven in part by the Black Lives Matter movement, Cuomo signed an executive order last month that appoints the state attorney general as special prosecutor in cases involving the deaths of unarmed civilians at the hands of police.
Turner's death came less than three weeks after the death in Texas of another African American woman in police custody, Sandra Bland, spurred activists to raise questions about why Bland was jailed for several days after getting pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.
Similar questions have arisen about Turner's death. She was still awaiting her first court appearance last Monday when she was found unresponsive in her cell, officials said.
"I want somebody to answer my questions," Turner's husband, Herman Turner, told WPIX-TV. "What happened to my wife?"
Receptionists at the Mount Vernon Police Department told the Los Angeles Times that no one was available to comment Monday.
"Mrs. Turner's funeral will be later this week and we ask that there be a continued [show of] respect as we get through this very difficult time," Mount Vernon Mayor Ernest D. Davis said in a statement Monday promising a "comprehensive" and "thorough" investigation.
"We will continue to made every effort to keep the dialogue open surrounding Mrs. Turners' death," Davis said.
An employee at the Westchester Medical Examiner's Office said that officials had performed an autopsy on Turner's body but said she could not release further information.
"She was going to be brought up to arraignment at 2 p.m. [last Monday], and she was found to be nonresponsive, and she had passed away," Mount Vernon Police Deputy Commissioner Richard Burke told WPIX-TV. "It actually appeared like she died in her sleep."
Police told the Journal News newspaper that Turner was last seen alive between noon and 1 p.m. that Monday. One official told the newspaper during a tour of the facility last Friday that guards are supposed to walk by inmates' cells every 15 minutes.
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