| Investigation incomplete
in Fayette Co. jail death
By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation
has not completed its inquiry into the death of an inmate at the Fayette
County Jail.
James E. Eppinger, 30, died 10 days ago after a scuffle with jail personnel,
according to Joe Jackson, the special agent in charge of the Greenville
office.
But the autopsy report hasn't been completed yet, Jackson said. As of
Tuesday morning, the toxicology report still hadn't come back, Jackson
said.
GBI officials believe they know what caused Eppinger's death, but that
information isn't being released yet, Jackson said.
"The investigation is not over by any means," Jackson said,
adding that the GBI wants to speak with anyone who has information related
to Eppinger's death. "It's our job to find a fair and unbiased finding
of fact and we'll forward that to the DA to make the determination if
any prosecution is warranted," he said.
Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be forwarded to
the district attorney's office, Jackson noted. That's not unusual, since
the GBI usually takes such action with all cases it investigates, he added.
"It's certainly not unusual in the case of any death for us to give
the final case report to the DA," Jackson said.
Eppinger was injured during a scuffle with jail personnel as they tried
to move him from a cell, according to GBI accounts. Eppinger was transported
to Fayette Community Hospital for treatment, where he later died.
Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson requested the GBI investigation,
and he informed the agency of the scuffle after it happened, Jackson said.
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