Another person has died while in custody of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO).
Ricky Edwards, 61, was found unresponsive in a cell at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday (Aug. 12), prompting deputies to announce a medical emergency, according to a press release.
“Deputies and on-site medical personnel immediately responded and began providing emergency aid to the inmate, who had been held without bond since July 18 on a trespassing charge,” the sheriff’s office said.
Though the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was called to assist with the “lifesaving efforts,” Edwards was pronounced dead at 5:11 p.m. that day.
The sheriff’s office didn’t identify Edwards as the man who died, but his name and age were provided when asked by the Fairfax County Police Department, which is responsible for conducting investigations of all in-custody deaths.
“There is no indication of foul play, and the death appears to be from natural causes,” the FCSO said, adding that an autopsy will be performed in accordance with its policies.
According to online court records, Edwards was arrested on July 18 and charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly violating a trespass order, an offense that could result in a sentence of up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 if there’s a conviction.
He was kept in custody at the county jail following an arraignment on July 20 and was set to next appear in court for a progress review on Sept. 8. An adjudicatory hearing initially scheduled for Aug. 25 is listed as “continued,” suggesting it had been postponed.
FFXnow has reached out to both the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the public defender’s office, which is listed as Edwards’s representative, for more details about the case.
Edwards is the second person to die in the FCSO’s custody within the past week after an individual who was receiving medical treatment at a local hospital since earlier this year passed away early Sunday morning (Aug. 9).
Before that, the sheriff’s office hadn’t reported any deaths this year, but a total of 19 people have now died while in its custody since 2018, per past press releases.
