Horry County coroner releases J. Reuben Long Detention Center inmate’s cause of death
An inmate at J. Reuben Long Detention Center died Monday from self-inflicted asphyxiation, according to the Horry County Coroner’s Office.
Authorities said Abed Naqshabandi, 28, died at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center around 11:40 a.m. Monday, days after Horry County Sheriff’s officers found him unresponsive in a detention center vehicle after returning to the jail from Conway Medical Center.
During the 25-minute transport on Saturday, Naqshabandi wrapped a seat belt around his neck and was found unresponsive, said Horry County Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.
An autopsy Tuesday confirmed Naqshabandi died from self-inflicted asphyxiation due to ligature compression, Willard said.
Naqshabandi was transported back to Conway Medical Center by ambulance and later taken to Grand Strand Medical, where he was pronounced dead.
The Horry County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday there was no foul play suspected in connection to Naqshabandi’s death. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the case. An official with the sheriff’s office told The Sun News the officer responsible for Naqshabandi’s transport was placed on administrative leave pending the investigations from SLED and Horry County.
According to the sheriff’s office transport policy, inmates must be handcuffed with a fastened seat belt at all times.
Naqshabandi was booked into the detention center on Aug. 28 on shoplifting and possession of a controlled substance charges out of Myrtle Beach. According to an incident report provided by the Myrtle Beach Police Department Wednesday afternoon, Naqshabandi allegedly put an $11 bottle of pink moscato down his pants and didn’t pay for it at the Mystic Sea Mini Mart.
When police arrested him, they confiscated 1.5 pills, according to the incident report.
Myrtle Beach officials declined to provide the warrants from Naqshabandi’s arrest, demanding an open records request be submitted despite state code allowing for those records to be inspected.
South Carolina state code allows for municipalities to require an open records request for incident reports prior to the last 14 days, although public inspection of arrest warrants should be made readily available, according to Section 30-4-30 of the public records law.
Online records state Naqshabandi was most recently released from a North Carolina jail in Mecklenburg County in May for a misdemeanor larceny charge. He also was arrested in March in the same county on multiple charges, including threats. In 2018, he was wanted out of Hillsborough County, Florida, for obstructing police.
During a nearly 10-month period from 2014-15, Naqshabandi was in a Florida prison for possession of cocaine.
This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 2:56 PM.
