A Callaway County jail inmate died on Friday after being taken off of life support at University Hospital in Columbia.
Cody Thomas Ousley, 35, was hospitalized on June 6 after an attempted suicide according to Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane. Ousley had made two prior attempts on his life since being taken into custody on May 24.
According to Crane, after Ousley's second suicide attempt, he was sent to the Missouri Psychiatric Center for further evaluation. Ousley was returned to Callaway County jail on May 29 and was not deemed as a suicide threat.
Upon his return, Ousley was placed in a holding cell near the booking area of the jail to be kept under closer surveillance. After reviewing tape of the Ousley's suicide attempt on June 6, Crane states that the cameras lost sight of Ousley for a 12-minute period. An inmate alerted the surrounding officers of Ousley's condition and attempts to revive him were made.
Crane confirmed that Ousley was conscious and had a heartbeat when he left the jail via ambulance.
A routine inquiry was made into the day's events and a death report was filed said Crane. A final result from the autopsy has not been confirmed yet, though a "brain injury" was ruled as a preliminary cause of death according to Crane.
Ousley was jailed following charges of fradulent use of a credit/debit device, forgery possession of a controlled substance, theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a defaced firearm and unlawful use of a drug paraphernalia.