Martin Floyd, 42, was pronounced dead shortly after midnight Tuesday at a Marietta hospital after a medical episode inside the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where fellow detainees were the ones who first alerted deputies that something was wrong. He had been evaluated for a medical check the day before and his vital signs were recorded as normal, according to the sheriff's office.
Floyd, who had been held at the jail since June 2025, was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital after detainees told deputies late Monday that he was experiencing a medical condition, according to East Cobb News. He was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, as first reported by Atlanta News First. Jail medical staff and first responders began lifesaving efforts but could not resuscitate him.
The timeline laid out by officials is jarring in its suddenness: Floyd had been evaluated just a day earlier and his vitals were described as well within normal range. Later that same night, detainees around him were raising the alarm to deputies that something had gone badly wrong, and within hours he was gone.
Investigators Open Internal Review as GBI Steps Back
The Cobb County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Unit is now looking into the incident, a step the department takes for every in-custody death as standard protocol, per the same East Cobb News account. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was notified of Floyd's death but declined to open its own inquiry, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities have not released the specific medical condition Floyd experienced or an official cause of death. The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy, FOX 5 Atlanta reports, and Floyd's family has been notified of his death.
Second Cobb Jail Death in Recent Months
Floyd is the second Cobb County jail detainee to die in recent months due to medical issues, according to East Cobb News's reporting. In July, 64-year-old Robert Hardy died at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center after going into cardiac arrest at the jail, as reported by Atlanta News First.
A similar pattern unfolded in November 2023, when detainee Fernando Carr died at Kennestone Hospital after experiencing chest pains and seizures at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. At the time, the Cobb County Sheriff's Office said it had begun a standard internal investigation to ensure protocols were followed, and that the medical examiner would perform an autopsy — language nearly identical to what officials are saying about Floyd's death now.
No findings from the Criminal Investigations Unit's review or the autopsy have been released. What specifically caused Floyd's medical episode, and what the internal investigation ultimately determines, remain open questions as the sheriff's office continues its review.
