Homeless Woman Dies in Smithtown Cell

Brenda Gaines, a homeless woman who was in Fourth Precinct custody overnight for stealing $700 worth of Crest white strips, died in a Smithtown cell early Monday morning, 35 minutes after she was given breakfast. Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are currently investigating the situation.

The death appears to be medical-related and her body has been brought to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

Gaines was found unresponsive on the floor at 5:30 a.m. by a detention attendant who checks the prisoners every 30 minutes. After officers administered CPR she was transported by the Hauppauge Fire Department to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 6:22 a.m.

Gaines was being held overnight in a single cell for arraignment after stealing from  Walmart in Islandia. She was from Virginia and was on Long Island visiting relatives, police said.

Check back for updates as more information becomes available.