SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — A man died while in custody at a Shelby County correctional facility, and now his family wants answers.
Marilyn Felix got the news on November 8 that her son, 29-year-old Martin Lambert, was dead.
“I’m hurt, I’m restless,” Felix said. “I can’t sleep at night. I don’t like to talk about it because it hurts.”
Lambert was serving time at the Shelby County penal farm. Investigators say he was found unresponsive in his dorm by corrections staff. He was taken to the hospital but died.
Lambert was the second inmate in a week to die while in custody. His death happened just days after marijuana activist Thorne Peters was found unresponsive in his cell.
Records show Lambert had been in trouble multiple times in the past.
His latest sentence handed down after he was treated for an overdose. Responding officers found him in possession of a gun that he wasn’t supposed to have.
Lambert’s family says the father of three was working to better his life. They say that Lambert wanted to get married, and was even trusted enough to work while incarcerated.
“He was like he can’t keep going through this, he getting older, he gotta take care of his kids so after this he was done with it,” Lambert’s brother Montreal Lambert said.
Lambert’s family says they don’t think he could’ve suffered from any health problems. They say that Lambert had scratches on his neck, and that his hand was swollen and pink.
Since learning of his death, Lambert’s family claims they haven’t heard anything about his case.
“All I wanna know is what happened to my son,” Felix said. “That’s all I wanna know.”
A spokesperson with the Sheriff’s Office says they are still waiting for the medical examiners report, and that they plan to contact the family about the process.
