Inmate Dies In Custody At Manatee County Jail: Sheriff’s Office

PALMETTO, FL — An inmate died after being found unresponsive in his bed Tuesday morning at the Manatee County Jail in Palmetto, authorities said.

Willard Starr, 79, who was staying in the jail’s medical unit, was found around 8 a.m., according to a news release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Jail staff performed life-saving measures on Starr, but they were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead “from what appears to have been a medical event,” the agency said.

Detectives who responded to the jail found no signs of trauma or foul play, according to MCSO. The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death.

Starr had been at the jail since March 7 and was awaiting trial for sex charges, the sheriff’s office said.