From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the death of a jail inmate was likely a suicide.
Stephen Tanzel Reid, 45, of Birmingham, was found unresponsive in his private cell on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Jail staff found him at 10:16 p.m. and he was taken to UAB Hospital where he died at 11:21 p.m.
The sheriff’s office said Reid was found hanging and deputies attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful.
“The investigation shows that the inmate had been seen about 20 minutes earlier by other inmates and they did not observe anything unusual,” Sgt. Joni Money said in a press release.
Reid had been arrested by the Birmingham Police Department and booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Dec. 29, 2020, on arson charges and a charge of possession of burglar’s tools.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the death.