Aiken County inmate Kevin V. Rodriguez, 37, was found unresponsive in his cell when staff discovered him hanging from a sheet around 3:20 a.m.; jail personnel initiated CPR and EMS arrived, with Rodriguez pronounced dead at 5:20 a.m.

Rodriguez, who had been booked into the jail two weeks earlier on a malicious injury to property charge, had a bond set at about $1,087.50 and previously accumulated eight bookings at the detention center over the past decade for various offenses.

The coroner’s office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are actively investigating the death.

Historical context shows Rodriguez had prior incidents dating back to 2020, including indecent exposure, and multiple other charges such as disorderly conduct and probation violations between 2018 and 2022.

An autopsy is planned for next week in Newberry to determine the cause and manner of death, with investigators noting no immediate signs of suspicious circumstances and SLED assisting in the investigation.

SLED’s involvement is part of standard procedure for in-custody deaths, as authorities continue to review the incident.

This marks the third in-custody death at the Aiken County Detention Center in the past two years, with Sheriff’s Maj. Nick Gallam saying detention officers followed procedure during the incident.

Rodriguez’s two-week incarceration followed by a prior history of bookings emphasizes ongoing concerns about individual cases and the jail’s safety and oversight.

The initial response involved detention staff performing CPR until EMS arrived, after which the death was confirmed in the early morning hours.