Tye Downard
Tye Downard, 43, was a Reynoldsburg police officer for more than 20 years and a veteran member of a DEA task force, and he lived in Westerville. His defense attorney, Sam Shamansky, called him "as fine an officer as I've ever met." Correctional officers found him dead in his single-person cell at the Delaware County Jail at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday, February 22, 2016, during hourly checks. Sheriff Russell Martin said he hanged himself with his bed sheet, and said a jail psychologist had evaluated him on admission and found no signs of suicidal intent, and that he was not on suicide watch. The sheriff's office and Reynoldsburg police said the death is under investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide. Sheriff Russell Martin said Downard hanged himself with his bed sheet, had been evaluated by the jail psychologist on admission, and was not on suicide watch.
Reported by: Delaware County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Reynoldsburg Police Department.
Sources (6)
- Investigation underway in Delaware County Jail deaths
- Ohio officer held on drug charges kills himself in jail
- Reynoldsburg officer accused of drug charges commits suicide - NBC4 WCMH-TV
- Reynoldsburg Detective Facing Drug Charges Commits Suicide By Hanging
- Sheriff: Former officer 'hanged himself'
- Preliminary report says infection caused Ashley woman’s death in jail