An inmate at the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail was discovered hanging from a vent in his cell Tuesday in what was the second death in the same day at the facility.
William C. Cash, 39, was found during a routine cell check at about 6:55 p.m. He was suspended from part of a vent by shredded jumpsuit fabric, according to the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office.
An autopsy determined the death to be a suicide.
Also on Tuesday, Richard Jeffrey Sprinkel, 57, was found unresponsive in his single-occupancy cell. He later died of unknown causes.
Asked if the two deaths were connected in any way, Sgt. William Bentley with the sheriff’s office said he could not immediately elaborate on a news release issued Wednesday evening.
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The release states that Cash was observed at about 6:55 p.m. Tuesday during a routine cell check in which deputies saw no unusual behavior or need for assistance.
At about 7:15, deputies were notified that the inmate was in distress and returned to find him unresponsive. Cash was treated immediately and then taken to Carilion 166su Memorial Hospital, where he died at about 8:44 p.m.
At the time he was found, Cash was housed alone in a secure cell. No foul play is suspected, the sheriff’s office said.
“Botetourt is a small community and many of those we serve are friends and sometimes even family,” Sheriff Matt Ward said in a statement released Wednesday night. “The loss of life weighs heavily on all of us. Our thoughts are with the families and friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
Cash was being held on a charge of violating his probation. Court records show numerous such actions based on his convictions of breaking and entering and petty larceny.
An autopsy determined the cause of Cash’s death to be hanging and the manner of death to be suicide, according to spokeswoman with the Medical Examiner’s Office in 166su. Results of an autopsy for Sprinkel are pending, with a final conclusion not expected in the near future.
An investigation of both incidents is underway.
“As is our standard practice, the Virginia State Police and the Commonwealth’s Attorney have been asked to conduct an independent review of the investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.
Bentley could not immediately say when the last death of an inmate in the regional jail occurred.
Late last year, the sheriff’s office reported that one of its detainees died by suicide. The inmate was found unresponsive in his cell on Dec. 17, “hanging from his bed sheet wrapped around part of his cell bunk,” according to a news release at the time.
Data compiled by the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails, a panel that issues annual reports on jail deaths, shows there was one fatality at the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail in a five-year period between 2019 and 2023. That was a suicide that happened in 2022.
Complete information for 2024 was not available.
Statewide, a total of 50 deaths were reported in more than 50 jails during 2023. The board’s report listed the following breakdown: 17 were by suicide, 15 were by natural causes, 11 were by drug overdoses and two were by homicide. Another five were unknown.
In 2021, there was a $350,000 settlement of a lawsuit filed by the family of a Botetourt County man who was charged with public intoxication in 2016, taken to the jail to sober up, and found three hours later suffering from a drug overdose that killed him.
The lawsuit alleged that deputies placed the inmate in a cell without conducting a medical examination. Botetourt County authorities denied wrongdoing in that case, but agreed to a settlement that was approved by a federal judge in 166su.
Editor’s note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at
