A subject in custody at the Pettis Co. Jail was found unresponsive in his cell on Monday, December 7th, 2020. Jail staff immediately started CPR and Pettis County Ambulance District responded to the scene and was unable to regain a pulse. The deceased person was identified as James M. Smith Jr.
Pettis Co. Coroner Robert “Skip” Smith responded to the scene and conducted the scene investigation along with detectives from the Pettis Co. Sheriff’s Office. Coroner “Skip” Smith ordered an autopsy be conducted at the Boone Co. Medical Examiner’s Office in Columbia, MO.
On December 9th, the autopsy was conducted on James Smith by the medical examiner’s office. Coroner “Skip” Smith reported that the preliminary findings from the medical examiner’s office showed that the cause of death was arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and aging myocardial infarction. Smith also had a large blood clot in one of his coronary arteries.
A final pathology report from the medical examiner’s office is expected to take 16 to 20 weeks to become available. All indications are that the death was from natural causes.