GBI rules Muscogee County prison inmate death a homicide, coroner says
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has ruled a Georgia Department of Correction’s inmate death in Columbus as a homicide, according to Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan.
Curtis Mincey, 74, an inmate at Rutledge State Prison, was found unresponsive in his cell on July 22. He was pronounced dead at 3:01 a.m. by Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Allison and the body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy.
Bryan said the cause of death is listed as blunt force trauma to the head and torso. Death by physical altercation was listed as an additional cause of death.
The Georgia DOC previously confirmed Mincey’s death in an email but declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation. The Ledger-Enquirer reached out again Wednesday for any new details in the case and will update this story when a response is received.
Rutledge State Prison is a medium-security facility at 7175 Manor Road with a 640-inmate capacity.
The Muscogee County Jail, a separate facility, recently reported two recent inmate deaths. The GBI is investigating the death of one inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 5:49 PM.
