William Wade Aycock IV
William Wade Aycock IV, 35, died in June 2018 in his cell at the Rankin County Jail in Brandon, Mississippi. The sheriff's office said he was found unresponsive around 9:30 p.m. and taken to UMMC, where he later died, and at the time no cause of death had been stated. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the state medical examiner later concluded that he died by accident after falling from a bunk bed, but a person held at the jail told The New York Times that a guard asked them to attack Aycock, a claim a former person held there disputed. The Times reported that the investigation lacked photos, camera footage and interview notes, and that the cell was cleaned with bleach before investigators arrived.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (disputed). The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the state medical examiner concluded he died after falling from his bunk bed, but an inmate says a guard asked him to attack Aycock, a claim a former inmate disputes.
Reported by: Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); state medical examiner; an inmate held at the Rankin County Adult Detention Center (witnesses).