A Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate reportedly was found hanging in his cell at the Tallahatchie County Work Center in Sumner Wednesday afternoon.
Tallahatchie County Coroner Anthony Hawkins identified the deceased as Anthony Hall, 39, of Rankin County.
Hawkins said his preliminary finding was that the man "committed suicide."
The coroner said the body was transported for autopsy.
Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly would say only that work center personnel discovered the inmate "unresponsive in his cell" at about 4:30 p.m. and that "medical services were contacted and provided."
"Outside of that, I don't want to make any comment," he noted. "I'd direct anything to Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Department of Corrections Investigation Division. They were both notified of the incident when it happened."
When contacted, Bailey Martin, media and public relations specialist for MBI, noted in an email, "The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating a death that occurred at Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Department. The inmate was found deceased in his cell with no signs of foul play. Due to this being an open and ongoing investigation, no further comment will be made."
An unnamed spokesperson for the MDOC Office of Communications replied in an email, "Because the state inmate was in the custody of the sheriff at the time of his death, this office recommends reaching out to the sheriff directly for first-hand information."
According to the MDOC website, Hall was serving 30 years on Rankin County convictions for grand larceny, possession of stolen property and accessory after the fact. He was sentenced Nov. 29, 2010, and was tentatively scheduled for release on April 19, 2032.
Inmates housed at the work center in Sumner engage in valuable services ranging from riding county garbage trucks and picking up roadside litter to mowing grass and performing upkeep and maintenance on county courthouses and other public facilities, including fire houses, voting precinct sites, and the county library and hospital.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to add emailed statements from MBI and MDOC.
