Died in jail or a lockup
Joseph Allen Bratcher
Joseph Allen Bratcher, 28, died on January 12, 2021, after a deputy found him in his cell at the Newport News city jail with a sheet tied around his neck and the cell bars. He was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center, where he died. The Newport News Sheriff's Office describes the death as an apparent suicide, and the sheriff's office and Newport News police are each investigating.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide. The Newport News Sheriff's Office says the death was an apparent suicide.
Reported by: Newport News Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.