Second inmate found dead at NC detention center

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – An investigation is underway after an inmate was found dead days after another inmate at the Rutherford County Detention Center.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 40-year-old Zeb John Davis, of Spindale, was found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday, May 11, during regular check rounds conducted by the staff.

Deputies said life-saving medical procedures were performed on Davis but were unsuccessful. According to officials, he was being held at the detention center as a pre-trial detainee.

Davis’s death is the second reported death at the detention center within a week.

On May 7, the sheriff’s office previously reported that an inmate was also found unresponsive in their cell, where they were later pronounced deceased.

Their identity has not been released at this time.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been requested to conduct an investigation into the cause of Davis’s death.

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