A 43-year-old mother of eight was found dead in a holding cell in the city jail Monday afternoon, according to the Mount Vernon Police Department.

Raynette Turner was arrested on Saturday for allegedly shoplifting, officials say. She was placed in custody awaiting arraignment on petty larceny charges.

Turner became ill in the holding cell and was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to officials. On Monday morning, she was returned to the jail, where she died later that afternoon.

Police say she had a history of hypertension, which is what she was treated for at the hospital.

Turner's husband says officials haven't explained the death to family members.

"I can't get any answers from detectives, anyone," says Herman Turner, the victim's husband. "She was a wife. She was a mother. She was mine."

City officials say she appears to have died while sleeping and that they do not expect foul play.

An autopsy is planned to determine the cause of death. The Westchester County District Attorney's office and the state attorney general's office are both assisting Mount Vernon police in the investigation.