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Brayan Rayo-Garzon

Gender : Male

Age : 27

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 04/08/2025

Location : Phelps County Jail

City : Rolla

County : Phelps

State : Missouri

Agency : U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Found dead in jail in ICE custody

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On April 8, 2025, Brayan Rayo-Garzon, a 27-year-old Colombian national, died by suicide while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri. Rayo-Garzon had entered the United States without authorization near San Ysidro, California, on November 13, 2023. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Colombia on June 12, 2024. He was arrested by ICE on March 25, 2025 in St. Louis.
While detained, Rayo-Garzon exhibited health issues, including labored breathing and anxiety. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and tested positive for COVID-19. A scheduled mental health evaluation was not done due to staffing shortages and his COVID-19 diagnosis. On April 7, he was found unresponsive in his cell, having hanged himself with a bedsheet. He was transported to Phelps Health Hospital and later to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis, where he was declared brain dead. The Phelps County Coroner ruled his death a suicide. Investigations by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility are ongoing.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/missouri-man-dies-in-ice-custody-jail-arrested-in-st-louis/63-f9ea736e-b9ec-46fc-b359-06e74ddd26c6
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/colombian-national-dies-after-being-found-unresponsive-ice-custody-phelps-county-jail
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/colombian-national-in-phelps-county-jail-dies-by-suicide-coroner-confirms
https://www.stlpr.org/law-order/2025-04-25/st-louis-police-brayan-garzon-rayo-ice-immigration-dead