A teen died in a Fort Smith hospital Thursday night after guards found him unresponsive with a plastic bag over his head in the Sebastian County jail.
Lewis Shores, 19, died at 9:30 p.m. at Baptist Hospital, formerly Sparks Regional Medical Center, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.
Jailers found Shores, who was in jail on charges related to the burglarized home where a couple was found dead, in an isolation cell about 2:15 p.m. Thursday. The release did not address how the plastic bag ended up in the cell.
Sebastian County Circuit Court records show that Shores was involuntarily committed to the State Hospital for 45 days in January and again in April for treatment for mental illness.
Petitions for his commitments said he had a history of cutting himself and of previous suicide attempts. He also had a history of drug abuse, hallucinations and paranoia.
Shores was in the county jail on charges filed in September of aggravated residential burglary and theft of more than $5,000. He was accused of being armed with a deadly weapon and breaking into the home of Jimmy Grubb, 81, and Norma Grubb, 79, at 7712 Hermitage Drive on Sept. 4.
Shores had not been charged with murder in the deaths of the couple, who according to police reports suffered blunt force trauma to their heads.
Criminal charges also were pending against Shores in Logan County, the release said. He was the subject of a manhunt in the Booneville area of Logan County after the Grubbs' bodies were found.
Officials will send Shores’ body to state Crime Lab for autopsy, according to the release. His death remains under investigation.