An inmate at Shelby County Jail, identified as 24-year-old Dalton Goddard, was found unresponsive in his cell on Wednesday evening and was later pronounced dead, according to a statement from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office obtained by Action News 5. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is set to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances of his death, following a request from Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.
The TBI, looking into the case, did not reveal an immediate cause of death, pending the results of an autopsy. Having been found around 11:30 on Wednesday, the Memphis Fire Department pronounced Goddard deceased, as reported by FOX13 Memphis.
ABC24 adds context to this incident, noting that Goddard’s death is at least the seventh in Shelby County Jail in 2025 and at least the 75th since 2016. Goddard had been in custody at the facility located at 201 Poplar Avenue since being arrested on several charges, ranging from possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell, to driving while his license was suspended, based on jail records…