The fiance of a woman who died while in the custody of Nye County authorities said he is frustrated with what he described as a lack of transparency following the arrests of two deputies.
Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill announced Sunday the deputies were arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, inhumanity to a prisoner and neglect of duty resulting in the death of inmate Stevie Miller, 30, of Pahrump, on June 10.
On Monday afternoon, McGill confirmed the deputies identities as Kyle D. Benes and Carlos A. Luna.
McGill referred requests for copies of arrest warrants in the case to the Nye County district attorney’s office. Nye County District Attorney Brian Kunzi could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
Miller’s fiance, Matthew Rios, 36, of Las Vegas, questioned Monday why the deputies were not initially identified and why no information was provided as to what exactly led to their arrests.
“They are being completely non-transparent,” Rios said, calling the situation “incredibly frustrating.”
Rios said an autopsy on Miller was performed by the Clark County coroner’s office but when he contacted the office to find out what the cause and manner of death was, he was referred to the Nye County sheriff’s office.
A request for comment from the union that represents Nye County deputies Monday did not receive an immediate response. An attempt by the news organization to obtain arrest warrants from Pahrump Justice Court was not successful.
McGill said Sunday that deputies chased Miller for suspicion of reckless driving in a high-speed vehicular pursuit north on Highway 160 from Highway 372 in Pahrump on June 9. Miller’s vehicle collided with two other vehicles and she fled the scene on foot before deputies arrested her, McGill said.
The sheriff said Miller appeared to be uninjured from the crash, but under the influence of narcotics or alcohol. She was taken to Desert View Hospital for a blood draw, then the Nye County Detention Center to be booked on multiple charges, McGill said.
Miller went to Pahrump Justice Court on June 10 and was ordered by the judge to be held on bail, McGill said. Later that day, she was found unresponsive inside her cell, the sheriff said.
Rios described Miller as a talented artist. The couple was planning to get married in July.
“She was very kind and loving. Just an all around good person,” Rios said. ” She was very interested in art. She was interested in doing a tattoo apprenticeship or a tattoo with piercing apprenticeship.”
Rios thinks it is possible his fiance had a medical episode or that she was injured from the crash that led to her arrest.
“They are saying she didn’t appear injured when the cops made contact with her, yet they brought her to court in a wheelchair,” Rios said Monday morning.
Rios said Miller was unable to use a phone while in jail. He said Miller’s family has retained an attorney and they, too, have struggled to get more information the case.
Miller was struggling with mental health issues in the weeks leading up to her arrest, Rios said.
“I actually was with her that morning probably two hours before that incident happened,” he said. “She was definitely going through it. We had an agreement that as soon as I got home from work that day I was going to take her to a doctor’s office to try and get her help.”
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
