This story was reported for Patch Media on Oct. 17, 2018. It is the recipient of multiple awards for investigative journalism.
SAN DIEGO, CA — What remained of inmate James Leonard Acuna’s troubled life was delivered to his family in a box months after his decomposed body was found hidden in a cell at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa on April 24, 2017.
The contents, a few personal belongings, provided some insight into Acuna’s existence behind bars: blood-stained shorts, dentures, schoolwork from classes for inmates and a nine-page personal journal detailing his activities over Easter weekend, just days before he is believed to have died.
Read the full story at Patch.com.