A Lowndes County Adult Detention Center inmate died Monday morning in his cell.
Coroner Greg Merchant identified the inmate as Eddie Deminstress Thomas, Jr., 52, of Columbus. Merchant said in a text message Monday afternoon that the death “appears to be natural.”
Thomas was found dead in his bed by jailers after he did not report for breakfast, Merchant said. He was found at about 7:17 a.m., according to a Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Detention staff attempted to perform CPR and other life-saving measures until Columbus Fire and Rescue personnel and EMTs arrived and pronounced him dead, the release said.
Thomas was last seen alive on Sunday night at about 10 p.m., Merchant said, and he was the only inmate in his cell.
Merchant said there were no injuries to the body and no signs of foul play, though an autopsy will be conducted by the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Pearl, Mississippi.
Thomas had been medically cleared for incarceration and in custody for 56 days, the release said. He was in jail on a bench warrant for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, Sheriff Eddie Hawkins told The Dispatch in a text message.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation will be conducting an investigation into the case in compliance with state laws.
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