Rodney Garrick Dies and is the 8th Inmate Death at a Georgia Jail
In Georgia news dated October 14, 2025, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, in a press release, said that a 59-year-old detainee at DeKalb County Jail died on Tuesday.
Little is known about the incarceration of 59-year-old Rodney Garrick in Decatur’s DeKalb County Jail. Officials say that Mr. Garrick was discovered unresponsive early on Tuesday morning. Lifesaving efforts began immediately, with jail medical staff providing aid until emergency medical services (EMS) arrived. After he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital on October 14, 2025, Rodney Garrick was pronounced deceased.
The sheriff made a statement conveying that the medical emergency leading to Mr. Garrick’s death happened suddenly and was entirely unanticipated. The investigation into this incident is continuing both internally and by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The following are among the questions and issues that remain unanswered:
- Was the jail aware of known health issues that Mr. Garrick may have mentioned or received treatment for?
- What was the medical condition that may have caused this tragic incident?
- How long was Mr. Garrick unresponsive before lifesaving assistance arrived?
- Did surveillance footage inside the jail capture the events surrounding Mr. Garrick’s death?
The release of the cause of death is pending autopsy results from the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
There is no evidence of foul play associated with Mr. Garrick’s death, according to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office also expressed a commitment to transparency with respect to jail operations.
There have been seven 2025 in-custody inmate deaths in DeKalb County Jail before Mr. Garrick’s death. Among the previous deaths that occurred in the custody of the area jails were the following:
Wesley Barrows, 37, was pronounced deceased on September 15, 2025, after being moved from Bryan County Jail to a local hospital earlier that day. Authorities stated their belief that Mr. Barrow’s death was a suicide.
Just five days later, on September 20, Larynz Redd died in the jail at only 27 years old. Mr. Redd’s was the seventh in-custody death in DeKalb County this year.
The address of the DeKalb County Jail is 4415 Memorial Drive, Decatur, Georgia 30032. The jail has an inmate capacity of 3,800.
The address of Bryan County Jail is 95 Sgt. Robert Crapse Dr, Pembroke, Georgia 31321. The bed capacity at the jail is 68.
Preston Gabriel Bush Dies in Georgia’s Bryan County Jail After a Medical Emergency
Inmate Preston Gabriel Bush, 49, experienced a medical emergency in DeKalb County Jail on September 4, 2025. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office’s news release said that emergency care for Mr. Bush was provided immediately by the on-site medical team. When emergency medical services (EMS) arrived, they took over lifesaving efforts. EMS then transported Mr. Bush by ambulance to a local hospital, where, later that day, Preston Bush was pronounced deceased.
The sheriff’s office was questioned about two jail deaths that were reported on August 26, 2025, just days before Mr. Bush’s death—the names of the two inmates who are referred to have not been revealed. Regarding the August deaths, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said that details have not been released as both incidents are under continuing investigation.
Concerns about DeKalb County Jail were also heightened after the death of 34-year-old inmate Anthony Lamar Walker, who, according to an autopsy, allegedly froze to death in the jail on December 26, 2022.
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