A 57-year-old man was found unresponsive inside his cell at the DeKalb County Jail on Sunday and was pronounced dead at the scene, county officials said. The sheriff’s office identified the inmate as Michael Gafa, who had been in custody since September 2025. On-site medical staff and DeKalb EMS responded, and Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said there is no indication of foul play as internal investigators review the case.
As reported by WSB‑TV, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said Gafa was discovered unresponsive Sunday and that on-site medical personnel and DeKalb EMS "responded immediately" before he was pronounced deceased at the scene. WSB‑TV also reported that Gafa had been in custody since September 2025.
Sheriff's Office: No Indication of Foul Play
“The DeKalb Sheriff’s Office takes any loss of life in our custody very seriously,” Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said, adding that “while there is no indication of foul play or criminal activity, incidents of this nature, regardless of cause, are subject to a thorough investigation.” Those remarks were included in the sheriff’s statement reported by WSB‑TV.
Pattern of In-Custody Deaths Draws Scrutiny
This latest death lands in the middle of a broader controversy over conditions at the jail, the most recent in a string of in-custody fatalities that has drawn local scrutiny and prompted calls for more transparency, according to reporting on a string of in-custody deaths. The DeKalb County Jail is one of the state’s largest pre-trial detention centers and lists a bed capacity of roughly 3,800 on local court roster pages, according to the Dekalb County Court.
Investigations and Oversight
County officials said the case will be reviewed internally and is subject to an administrative probe by the sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards. The agency posts contact and procedural information for complaints and records requests on its website, which family members and advocates can use for more information about oversight and investigations; see the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office site.
How Families Can Get Updates
Relatives seeking information can call the jail's family hotline or check the county's online inmate lookup for booking and custody status. The sheriff’s site links to the county's Tyler Tech inmate portal for current custody information at the DeKalb inmate portal.
Authorities have not publicly released a cause of death, and officials said they will provide more information as the investigation continues. We will update this report if the sheriff's office or other authorities release additional details.
