Man dies in Mecklenburg County jail, state officials to investigate
A 49-year-old man was found dead early Wednesday morning in the Mecklenburg County Jail just three days after he was taken into custody.
Bryon Miller was arrested on Sunday just after 2:30 a.m. for driving with a revoked license, possessing a stolen vehicle, possessing drug paraphernalia, and fleeing from police in the stolen vehicle, according to Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office records.
Miller was found unresponsive in his cell at 5:07 a.m. Wednesday, according to sheriff’s office officials. In a news statement Wednesday, officials wrote that detention center officers began CPR and at 5:24 a.m. EMS and fire personnel took over. Miller was pronounced dead at 5:38 a.m.
This is at least the 9th death in the jail since May 2021 and the first of 2023.
Since 2011, deaths in custody have increased significantly in North Carolina, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Statewide, there were 17 deaths in 2011, and 68 in 2021, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
“MCSO is saddened by this untimely death, and we extend our deepest sympathies to Bryon Miller’s family and loved ones,” Sheriff Garry McFadden said in a statement. “The death of any person in our custody and care is always difficult and touches the humanity in us all.”
The State Bureau of Investigation will investigate the in-custody death, as is standard procedure, officials said.
This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 11:18 AM.
