Lee County inmate found unresponsive, dies despite rescue efforts; investigation underway
A Lee County inmate has died after being found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning.
The inmate was discovered by Lee County Sheriff corrections deputies who were conducting cell checks and serving breakfast around 4:45 A.M. CDT on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Opelika Fire and Rescue and ETS medical responded and despite lifesaving efforts, the inmate was pronounced deceased at 5:10 A.M. “There did not appear to be any signs of trauma on the initial view of the inmate,” according to officials.
The 39-year-old male inmate, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was booked into the Lee County Detention Facility on July 17, 2024, on four (4) Failure to appear warrants involving charges of domestic violence, misdemeanor drug possession and two (2) traffic violations.
“Standard policy mandates that an outside agency conduct the investigation and at the request of Sheriff Jones, Russell County Sheriffs’ investigators have assumed primary investigation responsibilities,” the sheriff’s office added. The inmate is being transported to the Department of Forensic Sciences for a postmortem examination.
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