Jason Lane Pettus
Jason Lane Pettus, 47, was held at the Gaston County Jail in North Carolina, where he was found unresponsive in his cell shortly after midnight on November 22, 2022. Jail records show a guard checked on him at 11:48 p.m. and he was found about 20 minutes later, and the sheriff's office listed his death as a suicide by hanging. His family, who describe him as a great father and a welder who worked his whole life, does not believe he took his own life and says they have been left with many questions. The sheriff's office has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to review the death and says it will release no further information until that review concludes.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The Sheriff's Office lists the death as a suicide by hanging, but his family does not believe he would have taken his own life and says jail records show a guard checked on him at 11:48 p.m. and he was found about 20 minutes later, leaving many questions.
Reported by: Gaston County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family.