An autopsy revealed an inmate at the Pettis County Jail who died last year had COVID-19.
According to a Pettis County Sheriff’s Office news release, around 3 a.m. Aug. 20, 2020, inmate Calvin H. Young contacted jail staff with a complaint about difficulty breathing. Corrections officers responded and moved Young to the medical area of the jail. At that time, the Pettis County Ambulance District was called to the jail. Once PCAD arrived, Young was walked to an awaiting stretcher and was taken to the ambulance where he died of his unknown illness.
Pettis County Sheriff’s Office investigators and Pettis County Coroner Skip Smith conducted an initial investigation and Young’s body was sent to the Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office.
On Aug. 27, an examination was performed by Dr. Keith N. Norton at the Examiner’s Office. No injuries were identified. Norton’s findings indicate Young was positive for COVID-19 and he ruled the cause of death as COVID-19.
“The Pettis County Sheriff’s Office expresses our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Young and we are truly saddened by his passing,” Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders wrote in the release.
