CASTRO COUNTY, Texas (KFDA) – Texas Rangers are investigating a Castro County inmate’s death.
A report published last week shows that jail personnel at Castro County Jail did not see any signs of illness during the book-in of 67-year-old Steven S. Rivera.
Rivera entered the jail on August 29 and was placed in a single-person cell “due to the cane which he needed to walk.”
Booking photo of Steven S Rivera in August 2026(DPS)
On Sept. 7, jail personnel saw that Rivera needed medical attention and called an ambulance. He was taken from the jail to the Plains Memorial Hospital in Dimmitt at 8:01 p.m.
The report specifically notes that Rivera did not ask for any medical treatment while in custody.
Castro County Justice of the Peace Mary Ewing ordered a personal recognizance bond for Rivera on the basis of his medical condition, per the report.
However, Rivera was unable to sign the bond paperwork due to being unresponsive.
Medical professionals opted to transfer Rivera from Dimmitt to BSA Hospital in Amarillo. The transfer happened on the same day he was taken to the Dimmitt hospital, Sept. 7.
Rivera died at BSA Hospital on Sept. 21 at 2:48 p.m.
An hour later, Potter County Justice of the Peace Gary Jackson called Castro County officials to inform them of Rivera’s death.
Jackson also told Castro County Sheriff Salvador Rivera that he considered it an in-custody death. As a result, county officials contacted the Texas Rangers to initiate the investigation of Rivera’s death.
Steven S. Rivera’s identification photo, undated(DPS)
The Texas Ranger asked that a deputy attend Rivera’s autopsy. The autopsy was completed in Lubbock on Sept. 23 and results are pending.
The report filed with the Office of the Attorney General on Sept. 23 shows the manner of death as natural. The medical cause of death is given as:
Patient experienced blocked arteries and potential pneumonia, suspected heart disease and failure to thrive caus[ing] malnutrition.
This description of Rivera’s cause of death means Rivera would show signs of severe weakness and fatigue; labored breathing and confusion; and a physical frailty caused by the body’s inflammatory response to illness and little-to-no appetite.
Officers with Dimmitt Police Department arrested Rivera Aug. 29 on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender.
According to Rivera’s listing on the state sex offender registry, he was convicted of sexually assaulting an adult female in San Antonio in 2021.
His first registration for the offense was Sept. 18, 2021 in Castro County Sheriff’s Office. The next date of verification given for Rivera is dated Oct. 2025.
Sex offender registration photo taken Sept. 18, 2021(DPS)
Additionally, his reported address is listed as in Hereford, Texas and not a Castro County address.
Rivera’s criminal history includes arrests for alcohol-related offenses in Burleson, Amarillo, Deaf Smith County, and San Antonio.
His criminal history report via DPS shows that his most recent arrest is by San Antonio Police Department for criminal trespass in September 2022.
Castro County Jail was previously found to be non-compliant with rules set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards in February 2025 and in November 2020.
The jail is shown to have been in compliance with state regulations at the time of Rivera’s death.
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