The Stark County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of an inmate who was found unresponsive inside the Stark County Jail late Tuesday night, marking the second in-custody suicide in the facility in recent months.
According to a statement provided by sheriff’s spokesperson Connie Deibel, Ethan Tyler Brown, 37, was discovered in his cell at approximately 10:30 p.m. on March 17 in what officials described as an apparent suicide attempt.
Jail staff and on-site medical personnel immediately began lifesaving measures before Brown was transported by the Canton Fire Department to Mercy Hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
Online court records show Brown was being held on multiple charges, including passing bad checks, aggravated possession of drugs and possessing drug abuse instruments.
The death comes just over three months after another high-profile inmate suicide at the jail. In December 2025, Daniel Zachary Mattay — the man accused of killing Ryan “JJ” Godbey — died by suicide while in custody before his case could go to trial.
Both incidents remain under investigation. Brown’s death is being reviewed by the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Stark County Coroner’s Office.
