Parker County inmate dies hours after DWI arrest, officials say

A Parker County jail inmate found unresponsive in her cell early Thursday later died at a Weatherford hospital, authorities said.

Denay Birnie, 27, had been arrested by Weatherford police Wednesday night on charges of driving while intoxicated with a child in the car and resisting arrest, according to online jail records.

She was booked into the Parker County Jail just before midnight, said Deputy Danie Huffman, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.

Detention officers later found Birnie unresponsive in her cell. She was taken to Medical City Weatherford hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:34 a.m., according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.

Her cause of death has not been determined. No more details about her death had been released Thursday.

The Texas Rangers are investigating the case, Huffman said.

Birnie had previously been convicted of misdemeanor assault and felony drug possession in 2012, according to court records.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Parker County inmate dies hours after DWI arrest, officials say."