Autopsies have yet to be completed for some of the 63 inmate deaths, and DHHS investigations also haven’t been completed in some of the in-custody deaths. But the investigation reports filed so far and obtained through public records requests show continued problems with inmate supervision, as well as a continuing battle with two drivers of inmate deaths — drug abuse and mental illness.

DHHS found at least 19 of the 46 in-custody deaths involved supervision failures, many of them missed checks by detention officers. That’s 41%, and reflects a long-standing systemic problem. Just as in past years, the percentage of deaths tied to supervision failures is in the range of a third to half of all deaths.

In some of the 19 cases, inmates went unchecked for hours. Ray Charles Hill, 67, died of heart disease at the Duplin County jail on Jan. 8, 2023. The DHHS investigation found gaps in his supervision as long as three hours. Duplin County Sheriff Stratton Stokes did not respond to an email seeking an interview on Monday.

Reggie Monroe was found “unresponsive, apneic and pulseless” on the floor of a Wilson County jail cell on July 29. An autopsy found that he overdosed on fentanyl, an addictive narcotic that can kill in small amounts.

Reggie Monroe had a 3-year-old son and a passion for computers, his father said. The elder Monroe recalled watching his son build one of those computers.

He’s had a number of questions, but few answers. Prior to an Observer reporter calling him, he had seen no DHHS reports, no autopsy, no medical examiner’s records. He plans to sue over his son’s death, but has had trouble finding a lawyer, he said.

“They’re going to pay for my son’s death,” he said.

The Wilson jail had 19 of its 51 detention positions vacant at the time of Monroe’s death, the DHHS investigation found. The sheriff’s office declined to comment, and said there was a pending investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

A plan of correction submitted by the sheriff’s office said officers involved were disciplined, and that a “corrective action” was put in place.

Drugs, contraband and suicides

...continued

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