Louisville Metro Corrections officers found a 54-year-old man unresponsive around 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. He was taken to a hospital in downtown Louisville where he died two hours later. Jail officials said he died of natural causes, according to an LMDC press release.
The man had been in LMDC’s custody since 2022. LMDC officials said Friday they won’t release the man’s identity until after they contact his family. The Jefferson County Coroner’s office has not identified the man.
The LMPD’s Public Integrity Unit is investigating the death, and an internal investigation by the Metro Corrections Professional Standards Unit will be conducted as part of standard procedure.
Twenty people have died while in custody at the jail since 2021.
Three people died in custody at LMDC in 2024. Officials reported the suspected drug overdose of 34-year-old Richard Graham in May. He had been in custody less than a day. In November of that year, two more people died; 53-year-old Shawnta Hughes and a Caucasian man were found dead. LMDC hasn’t released further information on investigations into their deaths.
The first death this year was a 60-year-old Black man who was found unresponsive in his jail cell after one day in custody. The Jefferson County Coroner’s office did not provide identification for the man at the time.
According to a sweeping audit of the LMDC in 2023, jail staff were not adequately trained to provide basic medical care and couldn’t readily access on-site medical professionals.
Advocates have called on LMDC to reevaluate their health care contracts. The facility currently contracts the national health care company YesCare. Late last summer, YesCare filed for bankruptcy in Texas.
