State-Journal.com - Jail suicide investigated

Ana Romero's brother-in-law in Shelbyville said she used to sing all the time.

"She was a good singer, like Barbra Streisand," said Mario Aguilar, co-owner of Marimba's Mexican Restaurant on Midland Trail off U.S. 60 in Shelbyville.

"She was always happy."

Romero came to Kentucky three years ago from San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, "to live the American dream, like every Latino who comes here," Aguilar said.

"She wanted to work hard to do better, to make a better future for her kids and to send money to help her mother," who is 92 and does not know about the death of her daughter.

Romero, 44, being held at the Franklin County Regional Jail on an immigration charge, was pronounced dead Thursday, just before midnight, at the Frankfort Regional Medical Center.

Franklin County Jailer Billy Roberts declined to release details of her death other than to say Tuesday it was being investigated by state police as a suspected suicide.

"I'm tore up about this," Roberts said. "My staff did everything they could to try to save her. It's just a very unfortunate circumstance and I feel for her family."

Roberts said 911 was called around 11:15 p.m. Thursday and Romero was taken by emergency medical personnel to the hospital.

Franklin County Coroner Will Harrod said an autopsy was performed at the state medical examiner's office in Frankfort. The preliminary autopsy isn't back yet, and the final report could take four to six weeks to receive, Harrod said.

The state police could not be reached for comment.

Shelbyville attorney Matthew Pippin said Tuesday he has been retained by Romero's family "to be the liaison." He said Romero was being held in the Franklin County Jail while waiting a deportation proceeding.

"It's certainly difficult for anybody to make a statement at this point because we are waiting for autopsy results," Pippin said. "We expect preliminary findings to be sent out by the end of the week."

Pippin said Romero's family "is very concerned about the circumstances surrounding her death. We certainly will be watching the investigation very closely.

"While Ms. Romero was incarcerated, that certainly in no way means she was not very, very well loved by her community of family and friends. At this point the grieving is tremendous and I think the sadness of the situation is overwhelming."

In San Salvador, "Ms. Romero had a home to return to," Pippin said. "She had family and a community of friends there as well, so she wasn't going to be dropped off in the middle of a foreign city."

Pippin said he has requested all court documents but doesn't know what charge Romero was originally being held on.

Pippin said he knows Mario Aguilar through the restaurant.

"He's a well-respected, well-known member of the community," Pippin said. "I've known him for quite some time. (Romero) was around the restaurant a lot and I had spoken with her but I did not know her very well. The family is very close.

"They're good people - the kind of people you want as neighbors and friends."

The news of Romero's death was "extremely shocking," said Mario Aguilar, while sitting at a restaurant table with his wife and Romero's sister, Blanca Aguilar, Tuesday afternoon.

The Aguilars talked with a State Journal reporter through the help of an interpreter, Anthony Veras, pastor of Upper Room Assemblies of God Church and a friend of the family.

The Aguilars said Romero has two sons in El Salvador, 28 and 26 years old.

"They work and go to school," said Mario Aguilar. "One works in a pharmacy and one works for a printing company."

Her father is dead, Mario Aguilar said.

In Shelbyville, Romero had been "helping a lady to clean houses," Mario Aguilar said.

He said she was arrested in January and was held at the Shelby County Detention Center for four months before being transferred to the Franklin County Jail.

"She was hoping for immigration reform where she could legally stay here and work," Mario Aguilar said.