Crossville
CUMBERLAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sheriff Casey Cox
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2026
INMATE DEATH AT CUMBERLAND COUNTY JAIL UNDER INVESTIGATION BY TBI
CROSSVILLE,Tenn.– The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office confirms the death of 46-year-old Joey Minshew of Indiana following an apparent suicide at the Cumberland County Jail on Tuesday morning, November 10, 2026.
At approximately 9:26 a.m., Correctional Officers responded to an incident involving Minshew, who was discovered alone inside his locked cell following an apparent attempt to take his own life by hanging. Correctional Officers and jail medical personnel immediately initiated lifesaving measures.
Minshew was transported by Cumberland County EMS to Cumberland Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
Minshew had recently been arrested on outstanding warrants originating from Marshall County, Alabama, involving allegations of child rape. He was taken into custody without incident by members of the U.S.Marshals Service Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force and assisting law enforcement agencies at a primitive campsite in the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area.
At the time of the incident, Minshew was being held at the Cumberland County Jail on a fugitive warrant from another state, with bond set at $750,000.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is conducting an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Minshew's death. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is cooperating fully with the investigation.
As the investigation remains ongoing, additional details will be released when appropriate.
Lt. Gary Howard
Public Information Officer
Members Discussion