The eyes of the nation are once again on the Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC) following the release of a Guardian investigation that spanned three parts, multiple years, and released video footage of a man’s death inside the facility.
“It’s pretty damn clear what killed him – it’s the lack of medical care.”
— Civil rights attorney Parrish Collins, representing the Ramirez family
The final installment, published Tuesday by The Guardian, centers on the death of James Ramirez, a 28-year-old pretrial detainee in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Ramirez was filmed bleeding, restrained, and barely conscious in a medical observation cell for hours while correctional staff delayed calling an ambulance.
Despite his deteriorating condition, video shows medical staff insisting Ramirez could not be transferred to a hospital until he verbally consented — even as he lay handcuffed, bruised, and incoherent on the floor. He was later returned to solitary confinement and found dead the following day.
The death is now the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit against CoreCivic, which owns and operates the federal facility in Milan under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since 2018, at least 15 people have died in custody at Cibola, according to the Guardian’s review of records, lawsuits, and medical examiner reports.
The Ramirez footage — edited and released by the Guardian — follows two earlier stories from the national publication: Part 1 revealed that the FBI is investigating a drug-trafficking “epidemic” at the facility, with allegations of CoreCivic staff smuggling meth, fentanyl, and Suboxone inside.
Part 2 documented the death of a young mother battling addiction, who overdosed while held at Cibola.
Each story draws from federal affidavits, court filings, whistleblower accounts, medical documents, and interviews with detainees.
CoreCivic Responds CoreCivic, headquartered in Tennessee, issued statements denying wrongdoing, maintaining a “zero tolerance” policy on contraband, and claiming that all deaths are “thoroughly and transparently investigated.”
View the reporting: https:// www. t h e guardian.com/usnews/2025/aug/12/cibolacounty- correctional-center- james-ramirez-death