MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County's jail population is becoming "much sicker" and older than in past years, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Eight people have died in Shelby County jail custody this year. Two of those eight deaths were due to a heart condition and pneumonia, two were overdoses, two were suicide or probably suicide and two others are awaiting autopsy results, the sheriff's office said.

There were 10 deaths reported in jail last year, and a total of 65 between 2018 and 2024, the sheriff's office said.

The jail population is about 2,800 people in the main jail.

The sheriff's office says there are more elderly people in custody; some were jailed because of DNA evidence found in sex crimes from years earlier.

Some detainees are coming to the jail in wheelchairs

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