The death of a woman in custody at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Friday is under investigation by the medical examiner’s office.
Officials said they could not release any identifying information until the next of kin had been notified.
In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said the woman died “seemingly from natural causes,” but did not offer further explanation, citing the pending investigation.
The latest death follows an outpouring of community concern over jail conditions and a number of deaths advocates and families say could have been prevented. A series of town halls have been held on the subject over the past year.
Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren, who is running for reelection this November, recently selected a Marietta law firm to conduct a review of conditions at the jail. The move has been criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union, which questioned the independence of the review.
The death announced Monday is the first to occur at the jail in 2020.
In 2019, six people died in Sheriff’s Office custody:
In 2018, three people died in custody:
Chikumbutso Madzi
Joshua Gibson
In 2017, two people died in custody:
Chinedu Efoagui
Ronnie Leftwich
In 2016, two people died in custody:
Sharrde Valme
Johnathan William
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