CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of a 46-year-old inmate at the Cumberland County Jail who authorities say apparently took his own life Tuesday morning.
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office identified the inmate as Joey Minshew of Indiana.
According to the sheriff's office, correctional officers responded around 9:26 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, after Minshew was found alone in his locked cell following an apparent suicide attempt by hanging.
Correctional officers and jail medical staff immediately began lifesaving measures. Minshew was taken to Cumberland Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities say Minshew had recently been arrested on outstanding warrants out of Marshall County, Alabama, involving allegations of child rape.
He was taken into custody without incident at a primitive campsite in the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force and other law enforcement agencies.
At the time of his death, Minshew was being held on an out-of-state fugitive warrant with bond set at $750,000.
The TBI is conducting an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. The sheriff's office says it is cooperating with investigators.
No additional details have been released.
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