Burke County man found dead in jail

A Burke County man died shortly after beginning his prison sentence. Kyle Blackburn Brown, 38, of Morganton, was found unconscious in his cell at the Granville Correctional Institution. He was found around 7:45 a.m. last Saturday (August 17), according to Brad Deen, spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Adult Correctional. The Granville Correctional Institution is located in Butner.

Jail staff attempted life-saving measures, but Granville County EMS pronounced Brown dead at 8:17 a.m. His cause of death is still undetermined, according to Deen. Police and the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are investigating the death, which is standard procedure for deaths in custody.

Brown had been in custody for 11 days on two counts of trafficking in a Schedule I controlled substance when he died. Brown's sentence following his conviction in the Burke County case began on August 6. He was sentenced to a minimum term of 15 years in prison between the two counts. WHKY previously reported on Brown's May 21 arrest, which prompted a months-long investigation by the Burke County Sheriff's Office.

[WACB’s Rick Gilbert contributed to this story]