A Utah man who died after collapsing inside the Lincoln County Detention Center after his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival is being remembered by lifelong friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him.
Tyson J. Alvares, 38, of Smithfield, Utah, died July 25 after collapsing while being booked into the Lincoln County jail, less than an hour after he was arrested by the Kemmerer Police Department at the festival.
According to a Lincoln County Sheriff's Office press release, Alvares was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, breach of peace and disorderly conduct after officers encountered him at the festival. Authorities said Alvares admitted using a controlled substance and was behaving erratically, prompting officers to have him evaluated by emergency medical technicians before transporting him to jail.
The sheriff's office said EMTs cleared Alvares for booking. He arrived at the detention center at about 9:30 p.m. and collapsed in a holding cell around 10:20 p.m. while being booked. Detention officers began lifesaving efforts after noticing he was no longer breathing, but he could not be revived, the sheriff’s office said.
Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson told Cowboy State Daily there was no use of force involving Alvares at the detention center. He said any additional information would be released as part of DCI's ongoing investigation.
'He Was Always There'
Stacie Lynn Izatt said she has known Alvares since childhood. Their families grew up together in Utah, and she said he was the kind of friend people knew they could depend on.
"If you needed something, if you needed help, if your bike broke or anything that way, all the way up to that, he was there," she said. "You could call him at any point."
While Izatt worked nights at a gas station, Alvares would sometimes stop by. If customers made her uncomfortable, he wouldn't leave until he knew she was safe.
"There would be creepy guys that would come in," she recalled. "He would stick around until they left ... or walk me to my car if I needed to."
She summed him up in one sentence: "He would literally give you the shirt off his back."
'He Fought Like Hell'
Since Alvares' death, Izatt said she has struggled to read online comments from people who knew nothing about him beyond the circumstances of his arrest.
"All they see is the drug use," she said.
She doesn't deny that addiction became part of Alvares' life. He attended rehabilitation, experienced periods of sobriety and relapse, and repeatedly tried to regain his footing, she said.
"He fought like hell," she said. "He would do good. He would do bad. It was hard to watch."
But she hopes people understand that addiction is not the totality of a person's life.
"Just because he was an addict, he didn't deserve to die," Izatt said. "If people saw him outside of that label, they would want to be his friend."
Recovery, she said, is rarely a straight path.
"They're still human. They're still people. They're still somebody's child. They're somebody's brother," she said. "Don't define them by that."
Family Facing More Heartbreak
Alvares' death has compounded years of tragedy for his family.
Izatt said Alvares' older brother died of cancer about five years ago. More recently, a cousin was killed in an ATV rollover.
"They're a tight-knit family," she said. "They're just good people."
Now, Izatt said, Alvares' mother is mourning another son.
"His mama is burying her last boy,” she said.
Watching strangers celebrate his death or dismiss his life because of addiction has only deepened the pain for those who loved him.
"It's cruel," Izatt said. "People don't know him."
In the days since Alvares' death, family members have shared a memorial fundraiser seeking donations to help his mother cover funeral expenses.
Questions Remain
Authorities have not released a cause or manner of death, and DCI has not disclosed what occurred between Alvares' arrival at the jail and his collapse roughly 50 minutes later.
Sheriff Johnson confirmed Alvares underwent an EMT evaluation before being transported to the jail but declined further comment while DCI's investigation remains active.
Cowboy State Daily sought comment from the Kemmerer Police Department regarding Alvares' arrest and requested information from the Lincoln County Coroner's Office regarding his cause and manner of death, but neither agency responded before publication.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
