MARIETTA, GA. —The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office announced that detainee Augustus Green, age 19, passed at 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, June 17. 

A Cobb County Sheriff’s deputy found Green unresponsive in his cell and immediately began life-saving measures. Green was transported to Kennestone Hospital where medical efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. 

The official cause of death will be released upon completion of an investigation by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office. 

“I’m heartbroken to announce a young man took his own life last night,” said Sheriff Craig Owens. “It’s especially hard considering it’s Father’s Day weekend and a family is now mourning the loss of their loved one.” 

Since 2021, the Cobb County Adult Detention Center provides all detainees 24/7 mental health access. It was the first sheriff’s office in the state of Georgia to provide an enhanced level of critical healthcare to detainees. 

Sheriff Craig Owens has made every effort possible to mitigate the possibility of deaths by suicide. In addition to around-the-clock mental health support, detainees under close observation wear medical watches to regulate their vitals. Medical staff are immediately alerted in the event of abnormalities. 

Green was in a standard cell and not under close observation. All detainees expressing suicidal thoughts are placed under close observation to be routinely monitored by both mental health and detention center staff. Detainees also have access to chaplains for spiritual guidance and support. 

At Sheriff Owens’ direction, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations has also been notified of the in-custody death. As is standard protocol, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division reviews all in-custody deaths. 

Green was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in March. He was awaiting trial for a number of charges including aggravated assault. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among individuals 15 to 24-years-old, and 37% of adults incarcerated in the state and federal prison system have a diagnosed mental illness. 

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About the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is committed to giving the most professional, fair, and impartial law enforcement and detention operations possible while ensuring accountability, respect, and community-oriented partnership. Sheriff Craig Owens, who took over the office Jan. 1, 2021, leads a staff of more than 700 deputies and civilians. Under his leadership, the Sheriff’s Office has the most diverse command staff in its nearly 200-year history and is on the path to becoming the best law enforcement agency in the state of Georgia.