Deputies: Inmate dies by apparent suicide at Bibb County Jail

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a man died by apparent suicide at the county jail Monday night, according to deputies.

UPDATE: The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office identified the inmate who died Monday night as 41-year-old Wesley Kyle Gautney.  Deputies say Gautney was being held in the jail for charges of three counts of possession of controlled substances.

ORIGINAL STORY:

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bibb County Sheriff’s Office investigators are looking into the death of an inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center on Monday night.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, corrections deputies found the inmate just before 8 p.m. Conditions in the cell indicated that the inmate had hanged himself, the release said.

The sheriff’s office says deputies attempted life-saving measures until EMS arrived. The inmate was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead by hospital staff, according to the release.

An autopsy will be conducted, and the case is being handled by the Internal Affairs Investigators with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards, the release said. The name of the inmate is being withheld until the family is notified.

Macon-Bibb Coroner Leon Jones says the inmate was pronounced dead at 9:07 p.m. at Atrium Health Navicent.

“The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office extends our sympathies to the decedent’s family and all those affected by his passing,” the release said.

This is the latest in a series of serious incidents at the Bibb County Jail. In recent years, multiple inmates have died while in custody. A Bibb County grand jury recently described the facility as “inhumane” and “unsafe” in a report, citing concerns over violence, overcrowding and staffing shortages. County leaders recently announced reform efforts, including the consideration of plans to upgrade or replace the aging facility.