TBI investigating after woman found dead in cell
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of a woman whose body was found in her cell Monday morning at the Grundy County Jail in Altamont, Tennessee.
Rachel Gwen Rollins, 30, was found dead around 7 a.m. CDT Monday when correctional officers were doing cell checks, according to the sheriff.
“The appearance of it looks like it was a medical issue,” Grundy County Sheriff Clint Shrum said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
Rollins was booked Friday on a charge of manufacture, distribution and possession of heroin for resale, Shrum said. The 12th Judicial District Drug Task Force arrested her, he said.
Shrum didn’t hear anyone note suspicions that Rollins might be under the influence when she was brought into the jail, but she was “being treated for withdrawal symptoms,” he said.
Rollins was housed in a cell by herself, Shrum said in a statement on the death.
“The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been requested to conduct the investigation. This is standard procedure for custodial deaths,” he said.
TBI spokesperson Susan Niland confirmed Wednesday in a telephone interview the investigation was underway and said results will be turned over to 12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor when the probe is completed.
Meanwhile, Rollins’ body has been sent to Nashville for an autopsy, Shrum said.
The autopsy report on Rollins’ death is pending and results typically take eight to 12 weeks from the date of death to be finalized, officials at the Middle Tennessee Regional Forensic Center in Nashville said Wednesday when contacted by phone.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter