Joshua Shane Long

Joshua Shane Long, 31, was held at the Cherokee County Detention Center in Murphy, North Carolina, in July 2018, and he is survived by a young daughter. About five hours after he was brought in, he collapsed in a holding cell, and he was flown to a hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was pronounced dead. His family's federal lawsuit says deputies failed to get him medical help in time and that jail records from that night were left blank or possibly tampered with, and the Sheriff's Office has settled the case, with the settlement awaiting approval from a federal judge. The autopsy attributes his death to acute methamphetamine toxicity, and experts disagree about whether the drug entered his system before or during his time in custody. The State Bureau of Investigation investigated the death, and the district attorney was reviewing its findings.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). The autopsy attributes his death to methamphetamine toxicity, but his family's federal lawsuit says deputies failed to get him timely medical help, and the lawsuit's allegations are contested.

Reported by: N.C. Office of the Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Cherokee County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Carolina Public Press (reporters).

Lawsuit: His family filed a federal lawsuit alleging deputies failed to get him timely medical help, and the Sheriff's Office settled the case, with the settlement amount still awaiting federal judge approval.

News reports (8)

• News report carolinapublicpress.org
• SBI says no to sweeping probe of NC county jail, but looking at key issues Carolina Public Press, January 9, 2019
• Autopsy: Inmate at NC jail died from massive amount of meth in his system Carolina Public Press, January 10, 2019
• DA: Decision on charges in NC jail inmate’s death to take several weeks Carolina Public Press, February 4, 2019
• Sheriff fires chief deputy as SBI probe of jail continues Carolina Public Press, April 1, 2019
• DA working with state or feds as SBI finishes probes of Cherokee jail Carolina Public Press, January 10, 2020
• Lawsuit: Detainee’s death ‘terrifying, preventable and totally unnecessary’ Carolina Public Press, June 18, 2020
• Parties negotiate settlement in jail death case Carolina Public Press, September 22, 2021