George Shafto
George Merwin Shafto, 45, was held at the Onslow County jail in North Carolina when, according to Onslow County officials, he attempted suicide by hanging. He was taken to Onslow Memorial Hospital and then to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where he died later on September 10, 2016. The sheriff and district attorney asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate his death. A later state list of jail deaths for 2015-17 records his death as natural causes, a classification that conflicts with the county's account.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed). Onslow County officials say he hanged himself, while the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' list of jail deaths gives natural causes.
Reported by: Onslow County officials (the agency that held him); North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.