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| Jail officers in death investigation put on leave |
| By The Tennessean |
| Published: 07/12/2004 |
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Four correctional officers employed by a private firm are now on administrative leave as Metro police investigate the death of a female inmate found Monday in her cell with a fatal skull fracture. The officers are all men. The death of inmate Estelle Richardson, 34, at the Metro Detention Facility on Harding Place is being investigated as a homicide, police said. The facility is operated by jail-management company Corrections Corporation of America. Louise Chickering, CCA spokeswoman, said the officers were placed on leave immediately after Metro homicide detectives started their investigation. She declined to release the officers' names. It was not known last night if the leave was paid or unpaid. For now, the officers are not working at the facility, Chickering said. Richardson was found about 6 a.m. Monday in her cell. An autopsy determined that Richardson had internal injuries as well as a skull fracture caused by ''blunt trauma,'' Metro police said. Chickering said that placing the officers on administrative leave was a routine matter, adding that it was ''out of respect for the investigation ... and to ensure that the investigation is thorough.'' ''Certainly, we continue to cooperate to the very best of our ability to help them in their investigation.'' Many questions remain about Richardson's death. Don Aaron, Metro police spokesman, said that police could not say whether any calls for help were made by Richardson or other inmates from inside the facility. That information is a crucial part of the investigation, Aaron said. |
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