Tarrant County Jail inmate found hanging in cell dies at Fort Worth hospital, officials say
A Tarrant County Jail inmate died at John Peter Smith Hospital on Thursday after hanging himself in his cell earlier in the week, according to the sheriff’s office.
Tarrant County detention officers reported that they found the inmate hanging in his cell shortly after 6 p.m. on March 5. The officers cut him down and immediately started life-saving measures, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday. The man was taken to JPS Hospital and placed on life support, but he died two days later.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 32-year-old Ronald Kenneth Reese. Results of an autopsy are pending.
Reese was housed in a general population cell. He’d also had access to and been in contact with My Health My Resources of Tarrant County during his time in jail, according to the release.
Detention officers check on the general population inmates every 40 minutes, the sheriff’s office said. The initial investigation indicates the prisoner planned to harm himself between those 40-minute checks, the release said.
The last check was performed at 5:37 p.m., and surveillance video showed Reese open his cell door at 5:52 p.m. and give something to another prisoner. He was found hanging at 6:02 p.m., officials said.
According to the release and court records, Reese had been in custody since he was arrested by Fort Worth police on Nov. 21 and charged with evading arrest, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
At least seven agencies review and investigate all in-custody deaths, according to the sheriff’s office. These include Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office jail staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations Division, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, an outside law enforcement agency, JPS medical staff, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
If you or a loved one are experiencing a crisis, call 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or chat online at 988lifeline.org.
This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 11:38 AM.
