52-year-old inmate dies in Chatham County jail after being found unresponsive
A 52-year-old inmate found unresponsive inside his cell died at the Chatham County jail Friday night, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said.
Staff members at the Chatham County Detention Center were performing rounds just before 8 p.m. when they found Michael Capone slumped over in his cell, Lt. Sara Pack told The News & Observer. Capone was found to be unresponsive with a weak pulse.
Detention officers and personnel from FirstHealth EMS, a nonprofit emergency transport service, performed CPR and other life-saving measures for almost 40 minutes, but were unsuccessful in trying to resuscitate Capone, the sheriff’s office said.
“Our hearts go out to Mr. Capone’s surviving family and friends. Regardless of his custodial status at the time of death, he was a human being and his memory deserves respect,” Sheriff Mike Roberson said in a statement. “Any loss of life is a tragedy, especially when it happens so suddenly.”
Capt. Tammy Kirkman of the sheriff’s office said detention officers were “shocked and saddened by Mr. Capone’s sudden passing.”
“We strive to provide the highest quality of care to individuals in our custody, so losing someone in our facility despite our best efforts to save him is nothing short of traumatic,” Kirkman said.
Officials suspect Capone, who was from Siler City, died of natural causes, but an investigation is ongoing to determine his cause of death, as well as the circumstances that led to his death, Pack said. The cause of death will only be confirmed once an autopsy is conducted by the medical examiner’s office.
He had been in the jail since April 4, serving a 30-day sentence for violating probation, and was expected to be released in May, Pack said.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 9:58 AM.
