Hanford man’s mysterious death leaves family questioning police: ‘A lot doesn’t sit right’

HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The family of 48-year-old Ryan Jones says all they have are questions following his mysterious death last month. They say the Hanford Police Department shut them out of the investigation before ultimately closing the case.

The family is now questioning the police and their ruling that Ryan’s death was an accident, saying that his injuries do not tell the same story.

17-year-old Emily Jones says police told her that her father was found unconscious outside a Hanford home on March 20. According to Emily, her father left his home after an argument with his girlfriend and went looking for a friend’s house.

Emily’s mother, Amy Hernandez, says Ryan never found his friend’s house.

“He was looking for his friend’s house,” Hernandez said. “He always had trouble locating it.”

Hernandez says, as far as they know, Ryan’s girlfriend was the last person to see him before his death.

“He went to go look for his friend’s house and never made it,” Hernandez said.

According to Emily and her mother, Ryan was found with his wallet, glasses and shoes missing and suffering from multiple mandibular fractures, broken ribs, a hematoma, a broken tooth lodged into his nasal cavity and a brain bleed.

Hernandez says when she and Emily tried to visit Ryan at the hospital, he was listed under another name for his protection, so the family was initially unable to see him. They were later told that there were no cameras in the area and that unless Ryan regained consciousness, the family would never know exactly what happened to him, and the case would be closed.

“The detective reached out and said they don’t know what happened,” Hernandez said. “They canvased the area for two hours, and nobody was talking.”

On March 28, Emily and her mother say Ryan was transported to a facility in Bakersfield for surgery meant to treat his brain bleed. But Emily says she was told her father’s injuries were too severe and she would have to decide whether to let her father pass on his own, or pull the plug on his life support.

Ryan Jones passed away on April 5, 2025.

According to Emily, after her father’s death, she and her mother were told by police that they would be unable to access police reports related to her father without a subpoena. Officials say detectives located video footage of Ryan Jones on March 19, showing him sustaining serious injuries after a fall, which is believed to be a contributing factor to his death.

Ryan’s death was categorized as an “accident” on his death certificate, but Emily and her mother are not convinced.

“There’s a lot that doesn’t sit right,” Hernandez said. “We can understand that he did have a fall earlier that day and that that fall could have possibly contributed to the skull or the brain bleed. But the rest of the injuries just don’t make sense.”

According to the Hanford Police Department, detectives conducted a thorough investigation into the death of Ryan Jones.

Officials say the search for evidence, interviews with individuals he had been with before being transported to the hospital on March 20, as well as many discussions with hospital staff and the Tulare County Coroner’s Office, ultimately determined his death was accidental.

“The Hanford Police Department does not have any evidence to suggest Jones’ death was suspicious or involved foul play,” Hanford Police told YourCentralValley.com. “The department extends its deepest sympathies to Mr. Jones’ family and friends. The investigation has been closed pending any new information.”

Anyone with new information about the case is asked to call 559-585-2540.