The cause of death was not disclosed, and detention center authorities did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
According to Mark Opgrande, a jail spokesperson, there were no clear indicators of foul play and detectives will look into the possibility of a drug overdose. The cause of death will be determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office. Basco, who was arrested on a narcotics trafficking charge on Thursday, was one of many inmates who sued the county in federal court for allegedly being shackled to a wall and forced to listen to the song ‘Baby Shark’ on loop for hours during separate events in 2019. In connection with the occurrences, a prison lieutenant retired and two detention officers were dismissed; all three face misdemeanour charges. According to Oklahoma jail records Basco has a lengthy criminal record in Oklahoma County extends back to the mid-1990s, largely for drug, property, and weapons offenses. He was sentenced to ten years in jail for second-degree murder in 2000 and released in 2007, according to documents.
