Man incarcerated at Meck County detention center dies in custody, cause under investigation
A 42-year-old incarcerated person at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center-Central died in custody Wednesday evening, and the sheriff’s office said it’s currently investigating his death.
Renny Mobley, who was housed at the Uptown detention center on East Fourth Street, was found unresponsive in his housing unit just before 5 a.m., the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
Attempts were made to save Mobley’s life at the facility, as well as when he was being transported by emergency medical personnel with the Charlotte Fire Department and MEDIC.
Efforts continued at Atrium Health, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.
Asked about the cause of death, sheriff’s spokesperson Bradley Smith said that information could not be shared because it was still being investigated.
He also said the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which prohibits a person’s medical information from being disclosed without permission, prevented that information from being shared.
Smith said two incarcerated people at Mecklenburg County Detention Centers have died so far in 2024.
A collaboration between The Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer found that while deaths in North Carolina jails dropped significantly last year — the first drop in seven years — investigations into those deaths revealed a pattern of supervision failures.
Based on reports submitted by county sheriffs as required by law, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported there were 46 deaths of incarcerated people in jails for 2023. Another 17 died “out of custody,” and autopsy reports for several show they had become infirm behind bars before dying in hospitals. Three of them overdosed in jail, records show.
The press release about Mobley’s death said the State Bureau of Investigation will conduct an in-custody death investigation, and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
“We recognize that Mr. Mobley had loved ones outside these walls, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends during this difficult time,” Sheriff Garry McFadden said in the release. “May they find comfort and strength in the memories they hold dear.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2024 at 10:42 AM.
