‘You Need to Check on Them:’ Family Gives Warning After Man Found Unconscious in Jail
Conway, SC (WPDE — A family is left with questions after 25-year-old Christopher Bennett was found unconscious in his cell at J. Reuben Long Detention Center Saturday morning.
“He’s going to find positive out of the negative and he’s going to keep everybody happy. That’s the kind of person he was,”said Emmanuel Hill, describing his brother Christopher.
Christopher Bennett was a father, son, and brother whose family says will be sorely missed.
“My younger sister called me and said Chris was arrested and I said alright, I didn’t think anything of it, regular, now I got another phone call yesterday morning saying he was on life support,” said Hill.
Bennett was arrested for having a gram of heroin in his car on Thursday night, according Dean Bishop, the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit commander.
That same night is when he was found unconscious.
“He didn’t look like himself at all,” said Hill.
The Horry County Sheriff’s Office says foul play is not suspected.
Horry County coroner Robert Edge says Bennett suffered a possible head injury.
“He had a good heart though, man, he had a good heart. He’d give you the shirt off his back, you know, he was good people man,” said Daniel Bennett, Christopher’s cousin.
Bennett’s family says they want answers on how he could go into jail fine and come out with what they described as two black eyes, a ruptured spleen, and a missing tooth.
“My family’s a praying family, my family’s a strong family, and we’re going to get through this like everything else. We’re going to get through it and we’re going to get through it together and get justice for my brother,” said Hill.
The sheriff’s office declined to comment on camera.
The Bennett family gave a warning to people in the area: “If you have loved ones, especially here, you need to check on them,” said Hill.
There will be an autopsy on Christopher’s body Sunday morning.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the death.
