JONES COUNTY – A 21-year-old inmate charged with murder died Monday after being found unresponsive inside the Jones County Adult Detention Facility, according to Jones County Sheriff Joe Berlin.
Sheriff Berlin said Nehemiah Rice was booked into the detention center on March 16 on a murder charge filed by the Ellisville Police Department in connection with a shooting at an Ellisville hotel.
Authorities said Rice was interviewed by an Ellisville Police Department investigator in an interview room at the detention facility. After the interview was completed, the investigator left the jail and Rice was returned to his cell.
According to the sheriff’s office, Rice was later discovered unresponsive in his cell. Corrections officers administered CPR and nasal Narcan while emergency medical services were dispatched.
EMServ Ambulance Service responded and transported Rice to South Central Regional Medical Center while continuing life-saving efforts. Rice was later pronounced dead.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has been contacted to conduct an investigation into the incident, which officials described as an “in-custody” death until an official determination is made.
