Robert James Smith
Robert James Smith was a high school student at East Central High, and his family describes him as a happy young man who always smiled. He died in his cell at a jail in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in 2007. Police reports say he hanged himself in the afternoon, on the day he was due to bond out. His family, the Jackson County NAACP and the ACLU are questioning that account, saying no autopsy had been seen and that the reports conflict with one another.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Police reports say he hanged himself in his cell, but his family, the Jackson County NAACP and the ACLU say the reports conflict and have questioned the death.
Reported by: police reports; his family; the Jackson County NAACP (advocates); the ACLU (advocates).