On Thursday, December 22, 2022, at approximately 3:10 p.m., an on-duty correctional deputy at the Holmes County Jail was conducting a routine security check when he observed an inmate alone in a confinement cell who had tied a piece of bedding around his neck and secured the other end to the cell door.
The correctional deputy alerted additional deputies, who went in to check on the inmate and began life saving measures including CPR until EMS could arrive.
When EMS arrived, they continued life saving measures, which were ultimately unsuccessful. EMS pronounced the inmate deceased.
The Medical Examiner’s Office was contacted and responded.
The deceased was identified as Joshua Cornelius of Lebanon, TN. Cornelius was in the Holmes County Jail on local charges in addition to outstanding warrants from Walton County, FL, and Tennessee.
The inmate’s next of kin has been notified.
This investigation is ongoing and awaiting autopsy results.
