ADAMS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A man held in jail by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office died overnight.

According to a press release shared with WJTV 12 News by Sheriff Travis Patten, jail staff called 911 after they found 59-year-old George Thompson unresponsive around 06:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. When an ambulance arrived, AMR responders informed the jail that Thompson was dead.

Thompson was arrested earlier this month for disorderly conduct/breach of the peace. He
was waiting for a committal hearing before his death. The sheriff’s office said Thompson passed away from “unknown circumstances.”

Thompson was in jail in November for unrelated charges. He was released due to medical reasons. On Monday night, jail staff housed Thompson in a single-man cell and checked on him constantly throughout the night.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office notified Thompson’s next of kin of his death. It also contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations for an independent investigation of the incident before the office calls the coroner.