Sheriff: Mississippi suspect dies in New Orleans custody

Published 6:45 am Wednesday, June 23, 2021

A New Orleans jail inmate awaiting extradition to Mississippi to face a homicide charge died at a hospital where he was taken Tuesday after he was found unresponsive at the lockup, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff’s statement said the inmate was revived at the jail, but died later at University Medical Center in New Orleans. His name was not immediately released. The sheriff’s office said he was being held on $1 million bond on a fugitive warrant from Mississippi.

The release said there were no signs of injury or self-harm and that the preliminary examination by University Medical Center in New Orleans indicates he suffered cardiac arrest.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

The arrest date in the sheriff’s news release coincides with the first court appearance of a man arrested June 11 by New Orleans police and U.S. marshals after a brief standoff. Police said the man was wanted on a homicide charge in Moss Point, Mississippi.