An inmate, Lawrence Sumlin, age 60, was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead on Friday morning at the Shelby County jail, as reported by WREG. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has initiated a probe into the circumstances surrounding the death, which at present remains unexplained pending an autopsy.

Sumlin had been recently detained on burglary charges when the incident occurred. While the investigation is still to definitely conclude the cause of death, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner suggested at a press conference that it appeared to have been a medical emergency. "We're going to have to wait for the medical examiner gives us the information as to what occurred," Bonner stated, as attributed by a Local Memphis report.

In remarks obtained by FOX13 Memphis, Sheriff Bonner said, "Most of them are related to medical reasons. In all appearances, this may be one of those related to medical reasons, but I'm not a doctor. We'll have to wait on the medical examiner." He also noted the presence of a medical team on-site and discussed the health screening protocols upon intake. Bonner highlighted that despite such efforts, unfortunate events can and do occur within the jail system.

Shelby County has seen a series of in-custody deaths, with Sumlin's case marking at least the seventh of 2024 and following a total of at least 69 since 2016, as pointed out by Local Memphis. Health problems within the community and such occurrences within the jail setting are to continuously be reviewed to better understand and potentially mitigate such incidences in the future.