STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. (Oct. 10, 2025) — A 34-year-old Mexican national died in custody Oct. 4 following an apparent suicide attempt at the Ste. Genevieve County Jail, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Leo Cruz-Silva was found earlier that day by jail staff with a sheet tied around his neck in what appeared to be a suicide attempt. Jail personnel administered CPR until emergency medical services arrived. Paramedics from Ste. Genevieve County EMS pronounced him dead at 3:47 p.m.

Cruz-Silva, who had previously been deported multiple times, was most recently arrested Sept. 30 by Festus Police in Missouri for public intoxication. ICE arrested him Oct. 1 after he was released from local custody and issued a notice of intent to reinstate a prior removal order.

ICE records show Cruz-Silva first came into contact with immigration authorities in 2010, following an arrest for disorderly conduct in Tipton County, Tennessee. He was ordered removed from the U.S. by an immigration judge in 2011 and deported to Mexico in 2017 after a probation violation arrest in Franklin County, Tennessee. He reentered the country illegally at least twice more, most recently in 2025.

ICE stated that the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Mexican consulate were notified of the death, as required by agency policy.

According to ICE, all individuals in its custody receive medical, dental and mental health screenings and have access to ongoing care, including 24-hour emergency services.

An official report of Cruz-Silva’s death will be posted to ICE’s public website within two business days. Additional reporting, as mandated by the 2018 DHS Appropriations Bill, will be made available within 90 days.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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