Jefferson County inmate dies of apparent cardiac arrest

HILLSBORO, Mo. (AP) — A medical examiner is investigating the cause of death after an inmate died in the Jefferson County Jail.

The sheriff's department says 46-year-old Royce D. Sykes of De Soto died Monday morning following an apparent cardiac arrest. He had been jailed since March 2 for alleged probation violations related to felony drug charges.

A statement from the sheriff's department says Sykes had a history of complaining about chest pains while in the jail, and was examined at a hospital several times.