Turner was taken to a hospital when she said she was not feeling well and was vomiting.
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Although courthouse officials are supposed to check on the holding cells every 15 minutes, The Journal News reported, no one saw Turner for another hour, when she was found dead in the cell around 2 p.m.
Raynette Turner was found dead in a cell at Mount Vernon police headquarters.
Last month, New York became the first state to name a special prosecutor to investigate officer-involved shootings when civilians are unarmed or if there is a question if a person is armed and risky.
Authorities say the 42-year-old Turner died two days after her arrest on a shoplifting charge.
She was found unresponsive while awaiting arraignment for Petty Larceny, said spokesman Lucian Chalfen.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s office was leading the investigation but handed the case over to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman under an executive order signed by Cuomo.
An autopsy was inconclusive pending drug and other tests.
“Mrs. Turner’s funeral will be later this week and we ask that there be a continued [show of] respect as we get through this very hard time”, Mount Vernon Mayor Ernest D. Davis said in a statement Monday promising a “comprehensive” and “thorough” investigation.
It is unfortunate timing that her health issues caused her to pass in a jail cell rather than at home.
Turner’s husband, Herman Turner, believes the attorney general’s intervention “is an opportunity for a fair and objective analysis”, said his lawyer, Osvaldo Gonzalez.
With no judges working on Sundays to arraign her in court on the misdemeanor charge, police officers opted to keep Turner in custody through the weekend. “By making Attorney General Schneiderman the special prosecutor who investigates these types of tragedies and the A.G. taking action to seek justice, Governor Cuomo and A.G. Schneiderman are demonstrating their determination in eliminating the corruption of and restoring the public’s trust in our justice system”.
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The city did not immediately respond Monday to questions about the paperwork.
