SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating a death that occurred Wednesday morning in the Spalding County Jail.
Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said it appears to have been a suicide.
“All indications in the video point to a suicide. We have the GBI investigating. We will have to wait on their determination, but all indications now are that it was a suicide with no employees other inmates involved,” Dix said.
The incident occurred Wednesday morning, with Dix receiving notification at approximately 6:25 a.m.
“I actually delivered the death message this morning. I met with his wife and mother-in-law,” he said. “I actually brought the family into my office and allowed them to view the video and it was (an apparent) suicide. I felt like it was the right thing to do, to allow them to see the video.”
Dix said employees attempted to resuscitate the person in custody but were unable to revive him.
“There were several employees between detention staff and medical staff that did CPR and they used an AED (automated external defibrillator),” he said. “They continued to work him until EMS got here, and after EMS got here, they worked on him all the way to the hospital. They did everything they could to resuscitate him, but it was just unsuccessful.”
Authorities say protocol was followed to preserve the scene for the GBI investigation.
“We locked down the facility. We locked down the area. We held everything until they got here. The cell was processed, and operations have returned to normal for the jail,” Dix said. “The GBI was called in immediately and they are handling the investigation at this point.”
Officials say no other persons in custody or jail staff were endangered.
Publisher’s note: While it is The GRIP’s policy not to report on suicides, in-custody deaths are an exception to that rule. However, the individual will not be identified out of respect for their survivors.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
