Wyandotte County jail inmate’s cause of death ruled a homicide

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An inmate found dead at the Wyandotte County jail back in July has been ruled a homicide.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, just after 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 5, 50-year-old Charles L. Adair was found unresponsive in his cell at the Wyandotte County Detention Center by medical staff. After attempting to perform life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead by emergency responders just before 9:20 p.m.

Initial investigations indicate that just before Adair was found, he had received medical care for a pre-existing wound on his leg, the KBI reported. When he was done being treated, however, he reportedly resisted being taken back to his cell.

The KBI said Adair began yelling, refusing to listen to commands and physically resisting sheriff’s deputies. This resulted in him being handcuffed and returned to his cell, where he was placed on the bottom bunk.

However, as deputies attempted to take off Adair’s handcuffs, he continued to resist, the KBI reported.

Eventually, his handcuffs were removed, and deputies left the cell. But minutes later, when medical staff were asked to evaluate Adair, he was found unresponsive.

KBI agents said they did not see any “obvious signs of physical injury to Adair resulting from the incident.”

Adair was arrested only a day prior, on Friday, July 4, on misdemeanor warrants for failing to appear on multiple traffic violations.

According to the final autopsy report, the coroner ruled Adair’s cause of death as complications of mechanical asphyxia. Contributory factors were noted as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic alcoholism. Adair’s manner of death was determined to be homicide.

The KBI has released its findings to the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office.