Charles Adair’s Death in a Kansas Jail is Ruled a Homicide
A news report published on September 10, 2025, has a headline asserting that the cause of inmate Charles Adair’s death was a sheriff’s officer kneeling on his back. The technical term for the method by which 50-year-old Charles L. Adair was killed is “mechanical/positional asphyxia.” His death was ruled a homicide.
A county coroner’s report about Mr. Adair, who died earlier this year in Wyandotte County Jail, revealed this disturbing information. A statement issued by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) states that Charles Adair’s death was due to the complications of mechanical asphyxia. The definition of mechanical asphyxia is when breathing is prevented by an object or a physical force.
Mr. Adair was arrested and booked into Wyandotte County Jail on July 4, 2025, for misdemeanor traffic warrants. When he was being moved to a cell on July 5, he allegedly physically resisted, resulting in an altercation with one or several guards. Ultimately, the struggle resulted in an officer kneeling on Mr. Adair’s back, according to the coroner’s report.
Medical staff were called after Mr. Adair was forcibly placed in a bunk and his cuffs were removed. Medical personnel found him unresponsive. Lifesaving measures were applied, but Mr. Adair was pronounced deceased at 9:19 p.m. on July 5, 2025.
The coroner’s report lists other factors that were contributing causes of Mr. Adair’s death. Those factors included hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hepatic cirrhosis caused by chronic alcoholism. Mr. Adair also had a sternal fracture and muscle hemorrhage or bruising on the top of his shoulders and back. He also had multiple rib fractures.
The address of Wyandotte County Jail, also known as Wyandotte County Adult Detention Center, is 710 7th St, Kansas City, KS 66101. The jail has a 430-bed capacity.
A Federal Lawsuit is Filed After a Man Dies of Positional Asphyxia
Dayton, Texas, police responded to a welfare call on July 30, 2023. Andrew Golden was the subject of the call, and police found him grabbing the ground and shaking. Police officers attempted to handcuff Mr. Golden, and a paramedic with emergency medical services (EMS) helped the officers when he arrived in an ambulance. The paramedic placed his knee on Mr. Golden’s back. A police sergeant asked the paramedic to remove his knee from the suspect’s back, allegedly saying, “I don’t want him to suffocate.” Mr. Golden died that day, July 30, 2023.
It was determined by the medical examiner that Andrew Golden’s death was a homicide caused by positional asphyxia. On behalf of Mr. Golden’s son, a federal lawsuit has been filed by constitutional rights lawyer Dean Malone.
Inmates and Suspects in Custody Allegedly Die of Positional Asphyxia
At Ohio’s Montgomery County Jail, 25-year-old Christian Black passed away after being placed in a restraint chair. Mr. Black died in March 2025, and a preliminary report from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office indicates that he likely died of positional asphyxia. After the release of that report, the County Sheriff placed 10 jail employees who had interacted with Mr. Black on paid administrative leave. Montgomery County Jail is at 330 W 2nd St, Dayton, Ohio 45422.
Shayne Sutherland, 29, was experiencing a mental health crisis in October 2020 when he had an encounter with Stockton Police in California. While attempting to take Mr. Sutherland into custody, officers placed him face down on the ground. Pressure was allegedly applied with bodies and batons for more than 8 minutes as they kept him down. Shayne Sutherland died on October 8, 2020. His cause of death was cardiac arrest due to “acute methamphetamine toxicity” with a contributing factor of “physical restraint by law enforcement.” A year after Mr. Sutherland’s death, California law banned maneuvers that can lead to positional asphyxia.
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