KANSAS CITY, KS – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has launched an investigation into the death of a 50-year-old inmate, Charles L. Adair, who died Saturday while in law enforcement custody at the Wyandotte County Detention Center.
The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office notified the KBI of Adair’s death on Saturday, July 5, at approximately 9:30 p.m., prompting KBI agents to respond to the scene.
Preliminary information released by the KBI indicates that at approximately 8:30 p.m., Adair, a Kansas City, Kansas resident, was receiving medical care in the detention center’s infirmary for a pre-existing leg wound.
When personnel attempted to return him to his cell, Adair reportedly became disruptive, yelling, refusing commands, and physically resisting. Multiple sheriff’s deputies responded and handcuffed Adair to gain compliance. He was then transported to his cell, where several deputies placed him on the lower bunk.
Deputies began to remove his handcuffs, but Adair continued to resist. After gaining control and removing the cuffs, the deputies left the cell.
Immediately after, at 8:37 p.m., medical staff were called to evaluate Adair and found him unresponsive. Life-saving measures were initiated, and EMS personnel continued medical intervention upon their arrival. Despite these efforts, Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.
KBI agents stated they did not observe any obvious signs of physical injury to Adair resulting from the incident. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Adair had been in custody at the facility since July 4, following his arrest on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear on multiple traffic violations. The KBI’s investigation is ongoing.
