Died in jail or a lockup
Benjamin Lee Powers
Benjamin Lee Powers, 54, collapsed on July 22, 2017, while correctional officers were preparing him for a medical examination at the Western Virginia Regional Jail, where he was being held before trial. He was taken to Lewis Gale Medical Center in Salem, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke attributed his death to cardiac arrest and classified it as natural.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke ruled the death natural from cardiac arrest and said staff responded appropriately.
Reported by: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke (medical examiner or coroner).