‘Unacceptable’: Sheriff addresses inmate’s death in jail

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says the hygienic needs of an inmate who was reportedly found covered in bugs were disregarded before his death.

Thursday, the sheriff’s office released a statement regarding the death of 42-year-old Ramon McGhee.

TBI investigating Shelby County jail inmate death

McGhee was found unresponsive in his cell at the Shelby County Jail on January 10. He died at a local hospital two days later. The TBI was called to investigate McGhee’s death.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who McGhee’s family has retained, claimed that a nurse told McGhee’s family members that he was “covered in lice and bedbugs.” Crump and McGhee’s family are pursuing an independent autopsy to determine McGhee’s cause of death.

In a statement released Thursday, the sheriff’s office said that directions concerning McGhee’s cell cleaning and personal hygiene were “disregarded” and that “crucial information was withheld.”

Attorney: Shelby County inmate who died was infested with insects

The sheriff’s office called McGhee’s death “completely unacceptable.”

“Those within the Sheriff’s Office who neglected their responsibilities regarding this tragic incident are not reflective of our values,” the sheriff’s office said. “This behavior is intolerable, and we are fully dedicated to preventing such tragedies from happening in the future.”

The sheriff’s office said that they have been investigating numerous incidents at 201 Poplar for several months. The sheriff’s office says criminal charges have been filed in these cases but did not specify if anyone has been charged in McGhee’s death.

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