FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — An investigation is underway after an inmate was found unresponsive in a cell at the Forsyth County Detention Center.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said 19-year-old Jack Jeffrey Murphy-Renzi was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning.
Detention officers immediately started trying to save his life while medical staff was called, but the sheriff's office said Murphy-Renzi died.
The sheriff's office said Murphy-Renzi had been in the detention center since March 4 on a charge of driving while impaired.
“Any loss of life is a loss to our community. We extend our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the family” said Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough, Jr.
The sheriff's office said an investigation to determine how Murphy-Renzi died is underway and while that process continues, no further details will be released.
The Forsyth County Health Department and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Chief Jail Inspector have been notified of the death, according to the sheriff's office.
The State Bureau of Investigation has been invited to do an independent investigation and the sheriff's office's professional standards division will simultaneously investigate to ensure "there were no policy and procedure violations," according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office said this is part of the standard response to a death within the detention center.